#also like you are born talented. that is not going anywhere without putting some effort in

[antiqua-lugar]

I'm so tired of people playing Sorcerers and getting upset when Gale clarifies they needed someone studied in magic and being like "But I am sooo much better than a wizard, I was born with it!"

Girl, you might be *check notes* magic incarnate but that means absolutely nothing when he is looking for an academic

"But I was born good at magic!"

Okay, and I was born a native Italian speaker, however if an academic asked me if I have studied Italian I would have to say no, because academically I have not. I don't know a single italian linguist. I don't know how we went from indio european to latin to Italian. I don't even know why sardo is a language and bergamasco is a dialect. I forgot all the grammar I had to learn. Sometimes I talk to Tuscans and I do not understand them. it's almost like those are two entirely different things

[fiveisnumber1]

Hi! I love your writing and uhm I recently encountered a fic that looks a lot like yours? Maybe I'm just imagining things tho!! because I read the first chp of timeless so long ago. It's called "like a ghost", I'm sure you can find it on Tumblr, I think you should check it out yourself,, just wanted to let you know. Have a great day!

Yeah, I just went and read it and it is scarily similar which is quite concerning because I’ve put a lot of time and effort into crafting my story. I’m going to be honest, I’m shaking, my heart is racing, and I’m about to cry. This is my story beat for beat. Anyone who has read it knows this. I’ve worked really hard on timeless, I started writing this back in august, this is my happy labor of love and for this to happen...I’m just really distraught. For any of my followers here are just some plot points that are way too on the nose in my opinion (and these are direct quotes from “their” story):

“As time goes and the baby grows up, they start to notice something was odd. And then they discovered the baby's powers. Sometimes it unintentionally became invisible and they had a hard time finding it, sometimes it went through a wall, and sometimes an object went through it like there wasn't anything. They started to help their kid control it's powers, but it wasn't a simple task since they were just ordinary people.“

“A dark-haired boy was sitting in his room thoughtlessly looking from his window”

“Reginald held out his hand and you accepted it not saying anything."Tell me," he started, "what are your abilities?"You hastened but then you gave him an answer."I can become invisible, or go through walls and I can let things go through me."

“Five was walking down the hallway muttering to himself. "Idiot Klaus, why he has to poke his nose everywhere, now I-" he didn't finish because he bumped into something and fell on the floor. As you fell you lost focus and became visible again. At first, Five was confused about how it was possible to bump into something invisible, but then he noticed you lying on the floor.”

“You were regularly visiting the academy, learning how to control your powers and improve them. The only time when somebody knew about your presence was that bump accident with Five, but since then everything went well.”

"What are you doing here?" you asked. "I wanted to see you before you leave. Can we meet at Griddy's Doughnuts at 7 pm? If you know where it is," he asked shyly.”

"One plain, glazed for me," said Five. The waitress wrote the order to her notepad and left.”

“Since then you were seeing Five at Griddy's every day. The waitresses liked you and they often gave you some doughnuts for free. You talked about everything that came to your mind and you enjoyed each other's company. Five was enjoying the time you spent together. It was great having a friend that wasn't his sibling. It was so different and he liked it. But he wanted to spend more time with you and he came up with an idea.”

“It was almost seven o'clock and you were pulling the curtains when suddenly a voice came from the other end of the room."Good evening.""Jesus Christ!" you exclaimed scared. You turned around and saw Five leaning against your closet with a smirk on his face."Nah, just me," he replied nonchalantly."How did you get there?" you asked confused."I've got my ways."And then a new era of hangouts started. You were visiting each other's rooms and you spent even more time together than before”

"Yes I... I can make myself invisible, and go through walls or doors and things like that. I can also let objects go through me." you looked at Five, scared of how he would react.”

"When were you born?" "What?" you blurted. "When were you born?" he repeated his question. "Uh... October 1st, 1989 exactly at noon, why?" You were genuinely confused about why he wanted to know your birthday when he just discovered you had some superpowers. "Yeah that makes sense," he nodded muttered more to himself. "What are you talking about, Five?""I was born on the same day, the same year, and the same hour as you! And all my siblings too, and we have superpowers like you but different," he finally explained.

"Really? And I was scared that you'll freak out if I'll tell you about my abilities," you smiled. "What you can do?" you were curious. "Look," he said simply and then disappeared in a flash of blue light. You were looking at the place he disappeared in awe. Then he alerted you to his presence.”

“This was great, now you could be fully open to him and didn't have to hide your talents.”

It was too long for a direct quote but the reader plays a prank on Five’s siblings kind of in the same vein as how the reader in my story popped her head through Five’s chest to scare them

"Since all of my children most likely know about you, you will start training with them. At least it will be a new challenge for them. Training with an invisible opponent can advance their reflexes."

“Why didn't you tell us about her Five?" asked Allison. Five hastened. He didn't exactly know, he hadn't thought about it much. "I don't know," he said finally with a shrug. "Maybe because he loves her," exclaimed Klaus mockingly. "Shut your mouth," snapped Five. He suddenly felt hot and he didn't know what was that supposed to mean. Klaus laughed at his reaction.”

“After that, you were spending more time at the academy. You finally had the opportunity to meet Five's 'stupid siblings' as he liked to refer to them. You found out why Five liked Vanya and Ben the most. They were much calmer than Diego, Luther, and Allison, but you still liked them all. You met Grace, their robotic mom, and Pogo a chimpanzee who can speak to your amazement. You enjoyed being here because you could be yourself. You didn't have to hide your powers. You laughed with Klaus, spent time in the library with Five, listened to Vanya play the violin. You had deep talks with Ben, learned some tricks with knives with Diego, danced with Allison, or helped Luther with his workout. But your friendship with Five was the strongest. But time flies when you're having fun.”

“You were near the gates when Five rushed from the house, looking positively furious. You wanted to know what pissed him off so you ran after him because he was really fast in his fury. When you caught up with him you took him by the shoulder, so he can acknowledge your presence.”

"Not ready my ass..." muttered Five angrily. "Five!" you shouted at him, trying to get his attention. But he hasn't heard you. And there was another flash like before. Now it was snowing? You groaned and tried to get Five's attention once again.”

"Not now (y/n)!" He yanked his hand from your grip and disappeared in the same flash as the previous ones. "Ugh, screw you then,"

"Are you lost?" asked the woman with a worried look on her face. "No," you let out a nervous chuckle, "I live in here. With my aunt and uncle, are they in there?" You stood on your tiptoes so you can peek into the house. The woman looked even more concerned now. "Do you mean Mr. and Mrs. Harper? They moved out twelve years ago."

“You froze in shock. "What?" you blurted out in confusion. How much time passed? "What year is it?" "It's 2016..." she said.”

“You just simply couldn't be in 2016, it was 2002 minutes ago!”

“You were standing in the entrance hall for a few minutes, waiting for you to wake up from this horrible dream, but nothing happened. Any second now... "(y/n)?" you heard a shocked voice. You looked to the left and saw Grace, standing there with a duster, shocked expression on her face. "You're back," she said and put down the duster. She came to you and cupped your face in her hands. You gave up on the idea of you dreaming. This felt so real, it couldn't be just a fantasy. "Is somebody else here?" you asked. "Diego, Ben, Vanya, anybody?" "Oh," Grace sighed. "No, they all left some years ago. And Ben..." she looked sadly at you and you understood what she meant. You started shaking and you felt like there was some sort of pressure on your chest.”

“Nothing much changed, but then you looked at the fireplace and you saw a painting there. You looked up and froze once again. It was a painting of Five. You were looking up at it and then a wave of rage hit you.“

“His hand was turned palm up and he could see a tattoo on his forearm. It was the one they all got tattooed one day. The symbol of the umbrella academy. They really were his family. He felt a lump rising in his throat. He decided to go get his cart, but something caught his eye. He quickly rushed to it and he couldn't believe what he saw. It was you. You were much younger than the others. You looked like a teenager, just a few years older than he was. Your eyes were half-open, without a spark of life.”

“It was devastating seeing all of you dead. But the sight of your dead body was the worst for him. He carefully put your head down and stood up, not looking away from you. He had to find a way out. He had to prevent this from happening.”

“Since you don't have anywhere else to go, you can live there, but you will remain training and you will have a strict schedule, do you understand?"You snorted and said, "I won't be part of your silly academy.""I'm fully aware of that," he didn't look away from his papers, "Grace prepared a room for you."

[robininthelabyrinth]

Three Gates - on ao3 (for content warnings check Ao3) - on tumblr: pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8, pt 9, pt 10, pt 11

- Chapter 12 -

The Nightless City was grand and glorious, as luxurious as Koi Tower and as tasteful as the Cloud Recesses, and Meng Yao would burn it all down in a heartbeat for the chance to return to the familiar sparse stone and metal of the Unclean Realm.

Wen Ruohan had forgiven him for murdering Wu Bixian and blowing his cover once Meng Yao had explained the circumstances, although he’d been displeased; Meng Yao had had to work his way back into his inner circle the hard way, inventing monstrous machines for him to use in his Fire Palace, where he played at treating torture the way other people viewed sport.

Meng Yao had once dreamed of torturing his enemies – initially defined as anyone who insulted his mother, but later expanded to include anyone who made a serious effort to harm Nie Mingjue and recently he had been considering an additional expansion to loop in the same for Lan Xichen – but now he realized that torture was boring and burdensome and messy, and a quick execution was clearly much more effective.

There was a lot less upkeep, for one.

A lot fewer tormented doctors as well – that poor Wen Qing would probably have never picked up her needles if she’d known this was where she was going to end up using them, that was for sure – and anyway, neither of his lovers would have approved so it was all a moot point anyway.

Possibly former lovers.

Not that they’d ever actually made it to the stage of being lovers, what with Lan Xichen’s sect rules and parental trauma, Meng Yao’s nightmares of the brothel, and Nie Mingjue’s experiences with Wen Ruohan…

Probably for the best, actually, given what Meng Yao now knew about Nie Mingjue – something that he was almost certain that Nie Mingjue did not know about himself.

A few months at Wen Ruohan’s side had certainly been enlightening on that front. As Meng Yao might’ve suspected, he treated even the people in his clan about the same as wooden furniture, useful to varying degrees but all ultimately disposable, and someone like Meng Yao, a talented retainer he’d stolen from another sect and who had no way out, made for amusing company.

Wen Ruohan had in fact heard the rumor of someone in the Nie sect being born as a yang furnace, very likely from Wu Bixian himself in an attempt to get rid of what he perceived to be a stain on the sect’s reputation, and he’d investigated, ultimately figuring out that the person in question was Nie Mingjue. A yang furnace, Meng Yao learned, was considerably rarer than a yin furnace, requiring the right horoscope and lucky (or unlucky) parentage, and was considered far more precious – people with that constitution would have an incredible talent for cultivation themselves, but would also be able to magnify, many times over, the cultivation or even cultivation potential of those with whom they engaged in dual cultivation.

The furnace’s consent in the matter was not required.

After discovering the truth, Wen Ruohan had apparently gone back and forth for some time in deciding whether to snatch him up immediately, training him up as a concubine reserved for the use of the Wen clan, but one of his more esoteric specialists had told him that the sort of intense cultivation techniques he had in mind would likely kill a child and, more importantly, that the positive effect on his own cultivation would be magnified if Nie Mingjue’s cultivation were higher when he began.

“Sect Leader Wen’s patience is admirable,” Meng Yao said with the sort of smile he’d worn when talking to the brothel owner that used to beat his mother on a regular basis just so she’d ‘remember her place’. “If only I had known..! I am not so certain I could resist such a temptation for years on end.”

Wen Ruohan laughed. “Well, I must admit I gave it a half-hearted effort a few times. The doctors did say that a few times early on wouldn’t hurt.”

By hurt he meant damage to Nie Mingjue’s ability to cultivate, or to cultivate with others, not to the lifetime of nightmares and terror that Nie Mingjue suffered as a result of his unrelenting pursuit.

“Though on that subject,” Wen Ruohan continued, a faint smile on his face, “perhaps you’d like to take a look at the room I’ve prepared for him, and let me know if you have any suggestions – anything you think he’d enjoy for the times when he’s not – in service.”

“Of course, Sect Leader Wen.”

“Naturally, if you also have any proposals regarding any of your marvelous machines…”

“Naturally, Sect Leader Wen.”

“Good,” Wen Ruohan praised. “If you please me well enough, perhaps I’ll let you take a turn once I’m done with him.”

He had other requests, too, which were even less savory – mostly storytelling, Meng Yao casting his mind back to his days at the brothel and even in desperation some of the artwork Nie Huaisang insisted on collecting to describe all sorts of scenarios for Wen Ruohan’s evident enjoyment.

Meng Yao took a bath as often as he could plausibly manage it, and still felt unclean.

(Chiwen, hidden away as best as he could in the room he’d been assigned because a Nie saber did not voluntarily enter Wen hands, screamed in his head. He hated everything about what they were doing.)

It was amazing, Meng Yao thought, how far self-deception could go: he had thought, once, that he would be able to distract and dissuade Wen Ruohan without losing anything along the way, that he could sell himself without counting the cost, and at the last he realized that his mother had been right about warning him not to get used to making deals with bad men.

Wu Bixian, too. He had thought that Wen Ruohan’s goal was domination of the cultivation world, his pursuit of Nie Mingjue only a means to get there or at best a distraction, when in fact Wen Ruohan wanted to be a god, to break through the barrier of cultivation and rise up to the heavens, and he believed that Nie Mingjue could get him there.

And yet Wen Ruohan, too, was deceived – he thought that everything in the world was meaningless grist to that great ambition’s mill, thought that everything he did was for power and power only. And yet there was the great care and attention with which he had filled the prison room in the Nightless City with all the things Nie Mingjue liked, things that he’d figured out from casual mentions in discussion conferences, the fascination in his eyes when Meng Yao told him stories that were sometimes so very boring and mundane, the casual way he dismissed even his own heir’s death at Nie Mingjue’s hands…

Perhaps the interest had been merely practical once, but it certainly was no longer.

At least the war was going well.

Not much else was.

His letters with Wen Ruohan had been belatedly discovered and publicized, his betrayal becoming widely known – Wen Ruohan deliberately cutting off Meng Yao’s route of return, no doubt. The fact that it was a good move, and one Meng Yao would have done if he were in his place, did not make it any easier to swallow.

He had always assumed he would be there to explain the letters to Nie Mingjue.

He’d said so many cruel things in those letters over the years, hurtful things, things he didn’t believe but thought that Wen Ruohan would like to hear – things about Lao Nie, about Nie Mingjue, about Baxia, about Nie Huaisang…disdainful, wretched things, lies that had flowed so easily out of his brush when he’d thought it was all a game.

He didn’t want to think about Nie Mingjue hearing them – seeing them – reading them –

He didn’t want Nie Mingjue to think that was how he really felt.

Some days, in the middle of the night in the too-brightly-lit core of the Nightless City, Meng Yao put his head in his hands and felt the prickle of tears in his eyes. He should have known better, he thought. He shouldn’t have tried to take it all on his own shoulders; he shouldn’t have assumed he’d be able to explain, that he could swear on Chiwen that his motives were pure and that all would be easily forgiven; he should have told Nie Mingjue what he was doing early on so that it would not come to him as a surprise –

He should not have repeated his mother’s mistake from all those years ago.

(“They don’t trust us!” Lao Nie had shouted, his voice still audible behind those stone walls, and Nie Mingjue had gone silent, the words hitting their mark and leaving a wound, before he’d started arguing once again.)

Meng Yao had originally planned on having both Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen act as his contacts during the war, but instead for his sins he got stone-faced Lan Wangji and, eventually, red-eyed Wei Wuxian, who was clearly still deeply shaken by the near-destruction of the Lotus Pier and how close he had come to losing everyone he loved.

(Meng Yao killed time in between boring torture, nauseating dinners with Wen Ruohan, and interacting with his two contacts in trying to figure out how to get said contacts to confess their obvious attraction to each other without ever actually telling them to their face that they were being idiots.

How anyone had ever compared him to Wei Wuxian – citing their status as fatherless children being raised by sect leaders alongside their heirs – he honestly did not know; the boy had a genius for cultivating and the arrogance to go with it, but simply no common sense whatsoever. Meng Yao was his exact opposite.)

They had both briefly been guests of the Wen sect, brought in by the same invitation that had been forcefully extended to Nie Huaisang; once they were there, they were given to Wen Chao to lead and reshape. Obviously that went about as badly as anyone could imagine, Wen Chao being what he was.

Nie Huaisang had been there too, of course, and Meng Yao hadn’t dared go anywhere near him. It wasn’t that he doubted his own acting abilities, or Nie Huaisang’s for that matter, but rather his own perception. Nie Huaisang was a very good liar, and if Meng Yao got it into his head that his own blood brother didn’t believe him, he might very well fall apart.

So he didn’t go.

That turned out to be a mistake.

Apparently, not showing up was seen as some sort – admission of guilt, perhaps, because the second Nie Huaisang returned to the Unclean Realm, things started going very badly indeed. Many of his old contacts stopped talking to him or even disappeared, even the ones he would have sworn Nie Huaisang had no knowledge of, and he didn’t even want to think about how many of his plans ran into obstacles that had nothing to do with luck and had everything to do with Nie Huaisang’s Nie temper.

Meng Yao only hoped that the cause of the temper tantrum was his failure to apologize for not letting Nie Huaisang properly into his schemes, and not that Nie Huaisang thought –

Surely Nie Huaisang would have said something to Wei Wuxian or Lan Wangji if he didn’t believe Meng Yao to be trustworthy? They were peers, had been schoolmates, and a few months together was more than enough time for Nie Huaisang to get the measure of them – he had to know what they were doing on his behalf, surely, and he hadn’t stopped them, so…

Sometimes Meng Yao thought that his circular rationalizations would drive him mad, long before anything else about this horrible life of his did.

(He also thought, sometimes, about how his mother would feel – how she did feel – about what he was doing, and whether she approved or not. He usually tried to stop thinking about it as soon as possible.)

At any rate, the sect heirs had all escaped after some unfortunate encounter with a corrupted Xuanwu that made Meng Yao twitch in fear when he belatedly learned about it, and soon after that the war began in earnest.

The Nie sect took Heijian, as had always been the plan; the Wen sect’s cultivators threw themselves against their iron wall without any success and even some heavy losses, especially whenever Nie Mingjue himself there to lead battles. The Lan sect was scattered after the burning of the Cloud Recesses, but Lan Wangji’s early warning had preserved more of their lives than might have otherwise been accounted for – the attack on the Lotus Pier had been similarly blunted through timely advice, although Jiang Fengmian’s stubborn refusal to take immediate action had resulted in injuries, some rather serious.

Two major attacks, in under a year – the rest of the cultivation world was alarmed. A sizeable number chosen to give in at once, while others opted to join the opposing forces, and war was everywhere.

Meng Yao had hoped that his information would be enough to tip the balance, that he could play the same role he’d played against Wen Ruohan in the past – acting as an interruption, but never quite tipping his hand. Never pushing for the real reward, taking the big risk…

The war dragged on.

There were some close calls – some difficult battles. People were dying on both sides. Several times there were reports of terrible injury to key people; the death of someone he loved was only a matter of time.

It seemed that he didn’t have a choice but to take more dramatic action.

Evil, Chiwen screamed in his mind, just as he had every day since Meng Yao had arrived at this horrible place. Kill it!

Meng Yao wished it was so easy.

“Do you mind if I borrow your brother?” he asked Wen Qing, who glared at him but accepted the jar of wine he offered her. “Just for a while.”

“None of your machines,” she said at once. He couldn’t blame her.

“No machines,” he agreed. “I need a courier.”

She paused, then put the wine down. “Out of the Nightless City? Safely?”

He smiled.

Wen Ning was delighted to see Wei Wuxian, and the feeling was decidedly mutual – Meng Yao had picked Wen Ning in part because of the extraordinary initiative he had taken at the Lotus Pier, initiative that made the entire Jiang clan quite fond of him – and Wei Wuxian happily agreed to smuggle Wen Ning out of Qishan to deliver a private message.

“Make sure he gets to Lan Xichen,” Meng Yao instructed. “A message can be compromised or lost – a person, not so easily.”

“I’ll do my best,” Wei Wuxian said, and almost looked approving, like he thought that Meng Yao was doing this to save Wen Ning from the worst of the war.

He had no idea what Meng Yao was doing.

“Wei Wuxian,” Meng Yao said when they were about to leave. “What does Lan Xichen say about me?”

A blink, there and gone. “He fears for your safety, and hopes you are well.”

“And – Nie Mingjue?”

He didn’t bother asking about Nie Huaisang. If his brother didn’t want someone to know how he felt, no one would ever have the slightest clue.

Wei Wuxian hesitated, and Meng Yao waited, and in the end Wei Wuxian finally said, “I don’t think I’ve heard him say anything about you at all.”

Meng Yao nodded. It was no less than he’d expected, for all that it felt as if his heart were shattering. “Thank you. Please go.”

Wei Wuxian would take Wen Ning to Lan Xichen, and Lan Xichen would believe the words of a person more than he believed a letter – it was his nature to do so, especially when that person was as serious and earnest as Wen Ning, who seemed so trustworthy and who would never knowingly tell a lie.

But a person who would never knowingly tell a lie could still be made to carry one, and so Lan Xichen would listen to Wen Ning, and he would take what Wen Ning told him to Nie Mingjue, and Nie Mingjue – who might have questioned information brought by Wen Ning but who would never question Lan Xichen, the way he had previously never questioned Meng Yao – Nie Mingjue would listen, and believe, and act on that belief.

He would go to Yangquang –

And Wen Ruohan would be waiting for him.

Sometimes Meng Yao hated himself.

[beetlebitchywitch]

hey uh could you do a smut fic where it’s incubus beej (idk if i spelled that right lmao) x bratty reader and they are just teasing him to gods end and no matter how many punishments he’s givin em’ they are still being a brat? (also btw i wanna let you know that oml your fics are a m a z i n g you really are a insanely talented writer!!)

YOU BET YOUR ASS I CAN!

Warning: lots of name calling, Daddy kink, punishment, rough sex, v mild blood kink, just an all around good time

    From the very beginning, Beetlejuice was drawn to you more than any other breather he’d gotten to feed him in the last century. Usually, the people that called on him were looking for a rush of excitement, longing for the forbidden touch of a demon in their otherwise meaningless, trivial lives. But they’d get bored of him too, eventually- in reality, they weren’t interested in a demon, in him...they just wanted something new, something to excite them. It could’ve been anything, so long as it wasn’t the same old same old. He just so happened to fit the bill. 

    And then you came along. You, who only met him through an accidental summoning after a ritual gone wrong. You, who seemed not to care one iota about him being an incubus, seemingly untempted by his otherworldly charm. You, whose utter indifference intrigued and excited him more than anything had in a long, long time. Screw anyone else- he knew he had to have you. He finally managed to earn himself a place in your bed after several infuriatingly long weeks of pining, flirting, and peak levels of seduction. You’d wanted him the entire time, of course, drawn in by his playful demeanor and the promises of pleasure unlike any you’d ever known, but you weren’t about to give in that easily, especially if he was inclined to give up after only a few days. If he wanted you, he’d have to be patient enough to fight for you... 

    ...And that tendency of yours to make him wait stayed with you well into your relationship.

    One weekend, he was away on Netherworld business, so you’d had to banish him for the time being. He’d cupped your cheek, dragging his clawed fingers lightly down your skin and promised you that when he was ready to return, you’d know. The thought sent a bolt of excitement down your spine, and you spent the next few days drunk with anticipation, wondering just how he planned on getting your attention. The longer he left you alone, however, the more mischievous you became, your plan of action slowly coming together over the several days you spent in your empty apartment. When the day finally came that he’d attempt to return, something in you just knew. You dressed with purpose, slowly rolling your favorite thigh high stockings up your legs and revelling in the silky feeling on your skin. Paired with a matching bra and panty set that highlighted the curves of your breasts and ass, you stood in front of the mirror, admiring your body and how your choice of lingerie highlighted its best features. You had to admit, you looked hot as hell, and you knew that Beetlejuice would think so too. 

    Speak of the devil and he shall appear, or so it seemed, since you suddenly felt a cold breeze sweep into your room, raising goosebumps on your exposed skin. From in the mirror, you could see a vague, shimmery outline of a figure standing behind you, seemingly staring directly at your ass. You turned around to face it, but couldn’t see him at all, so you turned back around and saw him even closer now, seemingly only visible through the mirror. You looked up towards his face, where his eyes would be if he were fully corporeal, and you smirked, lifting your hand to your bra strap and slowly sliding it down your shoulder. You shivered as your shoulder suddenly felt cold and you looked in the mirror to see his spectral, barely-visible hand stroking across your skin. You batted it away with a sly smile and slid your bra strap back up, winking at him as you decided to show him a little mercy.

    “Beetlejuice…” you sighed, smiling as you saw his figure grow more solid, finally revealing his face. His mouth moved rapidly, but you couldn’t hear a thing, and his eyes narrowed when he realized it. You shivered again, but not from the cold- this time it was from the angry crimson crawling through his hair, practically glowing in the reflection. Warmth pooled in the pit of your stomach at the thought of him, angry and impatient and completely at your mercy. You didn’t want to think about the consequences of your actions, not when he was there, only visible through a pane of glass and practically vibrating with his growing rage. You looked him in the eye as you slid to the ground, spreading your legs in front of the mirror to reveal the best part of your ensemble- your panties were crotchless, easily parting to reveal your pussy, dripping wet and aching from days without him. You could’ve sworn you heard a low growl rumble throughout the room and you grinned victoriously, letting your fingers trail teasingly up your exposed inner thigh. Beetlejuice’s eyes grew wide at the sight, his mouth stretched into a scowl at his own lack of physical form, his frustration growing ever more evident on his face. You chuckled, finally dipping your hand between your folds to collect your slick on the tips of your fingers. Looking back up, you saw Beetlejuice staring with rapt attention, his mouth agape as you lifted your fingers to your lips and sucked on them, moaning at the taste of yourself on your tongue. You felt the floor shake underneath you, but you thought nothing of it- he had no power over you until you said his name two more times. Still, you missed the sound of his voice, and, well...one more time wouldn’t hurt, would it?

    “B-Beetlejuice…” you moaned, your fingers coming down to circle your clit. You watched as he grew even more solid, so close to being real but still completely invisible anywhere but in the mirror. His touch was faint, but you could feel it, his claws dragging ever so slightly along the back of your neck.

    “Can you hear me now, snack?” he growled, trying and failing to wrap his hand around your throat. You let out a shaky chuckle and nodded as you continued to toy with your clit, feeling his ghostly fingers phase right through you.

    “Good, then you better listen the fuck up, shit for brains,” he snarled, growling as his attempts to choke the life out of you repeatedly failed. “If you don’t finish summoning me right the fuck now, you are gonna regret ever being born.”

    Oh, come on. He could do better than that, couldn’t he? Your smile remained firmly planted on your face, though you bit your lower lip as you sped your fingers up on your clit. A bolt of fear shot through you at the sight of his narrowed eyes flashing a brilliant crimson, but you held your ground, throwing your head back with a moan. 

    “Is that how it’s gonna be, you little brat?” he asked, cracking his knuckles as he glared down at you. “You do realize you’re gonna have to summon me eventually, right? Sometime soon, you’re gonna say my name, and when you do, ohohohoho, you have no idea what you are in for. I can’t wait to see you on your knees for me, bruised and bleeding and begging for something I might not even give you. You want this cock, feeder? Then you’re gonna have to be a good little girl for me and say. My. Name. Or did you get all dressed up just to tease me?”

    Fuck, his voice was starting to get to you. You rubbed yourself even harder, your lips parted around soft whimpers at the thought of what he planned on doing to you once you released him. He was right, something had to give eventually, and you knew well enough that it was going to be you. But still, you wanted to hear more from him, so you quickly slid two fingers inside yourself, whimpering as you drove them into your G spot. 

    “No, you want me to come out, don’t you? Tell you what, kitten. When I get outta here, I’m gonna have three fingers in your goddamn mouth to keep you quiet, and another three in your pussy to make you scream. And oh, if you think that pretty little ass of yours is getting out of this scot free, then you’ve got another fucking thing coming. I’m gonna whip you within an inch of your life, and then whip you some more- maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of the Netherworld before I shove my cock in you and fuck you up against the stupid God-forsaken mirror until you can’t walk straight for the next month-”

    “BEETLEJUICE!” you finally screamed, clenching around your fingers. Christ, his words were too much, his promises too delicious for you to ignore any longer, and you couldn’t stop yourself from screaming his name as you rapidly approached your orgasm. Before you could climb and surpass that peak, however, your newly corporeal incubus was gripping your wrist harshly, tearing it away from your pussy while his other hand wrapped securely around your throat from behind you.

    “Did I give you permission to cum, you little slut?” he growled into your ear, his eyes meeting yours in the mirror. You grinned at the feeling of his hand wrapped around your throat, though you whined as your pleasure slowly waned just shy of an orgasm. 

    “No,” you retorted playfully, winking at him slyly. He glared at you with a growl, tightening his grip on your throat, but your smile never faded. 

    “You still on this fucking bratty streak, feeder? Fine,” he snarled. He let go of your throat and you sucked in a grateful breath which quickly turned to a gasp as he fisted his hand in your hair and dragged you onto your hands and knees, your face directly in front of the mirror. You could feel anger radiating off of him like a warm heat as he stared you down, his eyes burning like hot coals as he pulled your panties down to expose your ass. “I better hear you count, slut.” 

    You braced yourself as his tail whistled through the air and landed on your ass, putting all your effort into not crying out as the pain blossomed on your skin. You looked him dead in the eye as you kept your mouth clamped shut, and after a moment, his nostrils flared and his eyes glowed a deep blood red. 

    “I said count,” he growled, whipping you three times in quick succession. This time, you couldn’t hold back a little yelp at the stinging pain, but you still kept your lips held firmly together. Fear bloomed in your belly as his fist tightened painfully in your hair, unbridled anger coursing through his entire body. “You better fucking count if you know what’s good for you, feeder.” 

    Clearly, you have no idea what’s good for you, because your first instinct caused you to stick out your chin, look him in the eye, and say “Make me.” In an instant, he was baring his teeth, tail swishing angrily across the floor, and you expected another several hits on your ass, but they never came. Instead, the hand in your hair was gone, and Beetlejuice was striding over to the bed, sitting on the edge seemingly as calm as could be. You looked over at him in confusion, sitting back up and wincing slightly at the pain from the welts on your ass. 

    “...Beej?”

    “Oh, I’m sorry. Is a little brat trying to get my attention?” he asked, looking around the room and not meeting your eyes at all. “Because if she is, she’s gonna have to learn how to behave. Maybe if she tells Daddy she’s sorry for being such a fucking brat, then he’ll give her what she wants.” 

    Christ. You knew you’d been had, and you resented it. You knew that you could keep it up, obstinately ignoring him and teasing him until he caved, but you had no doubt that he had a much stronger resolve than you. With a sigh, you crawled over to Beej’s feet, your head hung as you settled onto your knees.

    “I...I’m sorry, Daddy,” you murmured, folding your hands politely in your lap. Inside, your urge to defy him and to tease him was just as strong as it was before, but your urge to take his cock so deep inside of you that you couldn’t think straight was winning out. You heard him chuckle before feeling his fingers card through your hair.

    “That’s better, isn’t it?” he said victoriously, and when you looked up at him, he was smirking proudly, red intermingling with a dark magenta at the base of his hair. “Thank you for apologizing, snack. But still, you were so naughty, teasing me, disobeying me...I’d say a punishment is still in order, don’t you?” 

    Oh god. You suddenly felt icy cold fear spreading through your belly at the thought of what he’d have in store for you. Before you could blink, he was on his feet again, his hand grabbing a fistful of your hair and dragging you back to the mirror, your knees struggling to keep up as you yelped at the pain. He got you back into your original position, your face directly in front of the mirror and your ass presented to him, just waiting to be whipped.

    “Now let’s try this again, feeder. Count.” 

    This time, you cried out freely as his tail whipped across your ass, the stinging pain mingling with pleasure as it cracked against your skin. 

    “O-one…” 

    “Mm, good girl.” 

    It continued like this for another 25 lashes, each coming at inconsistent rates and speeds to keep you on your toes. And like a good, obedient little girl, you counted each one, no matter how loudly you screamed. 

    “T-twenty five!” you cried out, hot tears dripping down your cheeks as your sure this last strike broke skin on your bruised ass, which was confirmed as Beetlejuice dragged his tongue across the skin, moaning at the sweet taste of your blood. When you looked up at him through the mirror, you moaned at the sight of his lips stained red as he grinned at you. 

    “What a good little snack. Bet you’ve learned your lesson now, huh?” he asked, licking away the last of the taste of you from his lips. “Up on your knees, kitten.” 

    You obeyed him, crying out softly at the burning feeling of the multiple raised welts on your ass brushing the back of your legs as you knelt. Beetlejuice quickly undid his fly and pulled his cock from his pants, achingly hard from the sight of you bruised and bleeding because of him. He gripped your chin harshly, forcing your mouth open and pressing his thumb onto your tongue. 

    “Fucking gorgeous mouth,” he groaned, holding your mouth wide open with his hand until drool started to spill from the corner. “Beg for my fucking cock, slut.” He let go of your tongue, moving his hand to grip your hair. 

    “Beej...please, Daddy, I want your cock so badly,” you moaned, yelping when he yanked harder on your hair. 

    “Louder,” he demanded with a snarl. “The neighbors better fucking hear how much of a fucking slut you are for my cock.” 

    “Please!” you yelled, desperation bubbling up inside of you. “God, Daddy, wanna feel you cum down my throat, on my face, please put your fucking cock in my mou-”

    Your words were cut off by the cock you’d been begging for being shoved into your mouth, and you moaned gratefully as Beetlejuice held your head in place to fuck his cock down your throat. He set a fast pace, forcing himself into your mouth and groaning at the wet heat as it practically choked him. Tears ran down your cheeks as you gagged around him, but you kept the worst of your gag reflex in check and groaned at the feeling of the weight of his cock in your mouth. You trailed your hand downward, hoping to be able to touch yourself while Beej fucked your face, but you suddenly felt two invisible hands grab at your wrists and pull them roughly behind your back.

    “Don’t you fucking dare,” he growled, grunting as he continued to thrust into your mouth. “You don’t get to cum until my cock is in your fucking cunt, understand?”

    You nodded, your jaw beginning to ache from the stretch around the girth of his cock. How much longer would he make you wait? Just as the thought struck you, he pulled out, reaching out again to hold your mouth wide open. 

    “Mm, my gorgeous little whore,” he groaned. “Stick that tongue out for me.” 

    You obeyed, looking up to meet his gaze and shuddering at the pure hunger in his eyes. Finally, he let go, using the hand his hair to force you back onto your hands and knees, the invisible hands releasing you so you could rest on your elbows, your bruised ass once again presented for him. He stroked his clawed fingers over it and chuckled at the sound of you hissing from the pain. 

    “Looks like you stretched yourself out for me earlier, hmm?” he said, rubbing his thumb over your pussy just enough to make you moan. “Better hope so, because I’m aching to fuck that gorgeous cunt.”    With no further delay, he lined up at your entrance and began to slide inside. You gasped at the delicious stretch, looking at his smirking face in the mirror as he filled you. When his hips met your ass, you cried out at the pain and pleasure intermingling so beautifully. He laughed darkly, running his clawed hands down the expanse of your back. 

    “Fuck, you’re always so tight, feeder,” he moaned, quickly setting up a bruising pace. “Tell me how good it feels.” 

    “Hnn, Daddy, feels, oh fuck, feels so good,” you whimpered, grinding back against him as he thrusted deep inside of you. 

    “Yeah, I bet it fucking does, you little cockslut,” he growled, letting his hand fall roughly against the raised welts on your ass. You screamed, clenching around him as the pain momentarily overtook you before immediately mixing with pleasure as the head of his cock ground deliciously against your G spot. “That’s right, you take my fucking cock like a good little whore, Jesus Christ you’re so fucking hot.” 

    His words sent hot pulses of pleasure throughout your body along with the drag of his cock inside of you as he took you as hard as he possibly could. He dragged his claws down your back, scratching the large expanse of skin and moaning as little pinpricks of blood welled up on the service. You whimpered at the pain, but it felt so incredibly good that you wouldn’t complain in the slightest. He leaned down and slowly licked a trail up your back, groaning harshly at the intoxicating taste of your blood paired with your wet heat clenching around his cock as he fucked you. 

    “Daddy, please, I wanna cum so fucking bad,” you whined, reaching down to rub at your clit while he fucked you. He quickly slapped it away, replacing it with his own, and you moaned at the feeling of his rough fingers rubbing you so perfectly. “Fuck yes, just like that, ooh Daddy, please can I cum?” 

    He growled, rubbing your clit in little circles while he drove his cock into you as hard as he could, his thrusts growing erratic as he chased his own high. 

    “Fucking cum for me you little slut,” he growled into your ear. “Let Daddy feel you cum on his cock. Cum for me.”

    You felt it building, the pleasure of his cock pounding into you combined with his filthy words and his fingers on your clit dragged you over the edge and you screamed, squirting harder than you ever had before as you came. You could feel it dripping down your thighs and onto the carpet, but you didn’t care, you simply gave yourself over to it as each drive of his cock inside you made little bursts of liquid squirt out onto his cock and all over the floor. 

    “Oh fuck, that’s the stuff, sweetness, you give me that fucking cum,” he groaned, his thrusts growing even more erratic as the feeling of you squirting around him sent him even closer to the edge. “Fuck, you’re so fucking good, kitten, I’m gonna cum, gonna fill you up so good-FUCK!” And then he was cumming, spilling inside you with a shaky groan as he buried himself as deep as he could. Coming down from your orgasm, you moaned at the feeling of his cum inside of you, already dripping out and sliding down your thighs. After a few moments, he pulled out of you, groaning at the sight of a rush of cum spilling out of your pussy and falling to the floor. He pulled you up onto your knees and into his arms and you buried your face in his chest. 

    “Feelin’ alright, snack?” he asked softly, his fingers stroking soothingly over the scratches he’d made down your back. You nodded, snuggling even closer to him and smiling as he chuckled. “Looks like you are. How about I get the shower going and we’ll clean up, and then I’ll tell you all about how business went over dinner. Does that sound good?”

    You didn’t answer. When he looked down, he saw your breath had evened out, unconsciousness taking you over after the exhaustion of being dominated as hard as you were. With a good-natured laugh, he lifted you bridal style and carried you to the bed, resting back against the headboard and holding you against his chest. 

    Never a dull moment with you around.

I FUCKING KO’D MYSELF WITH THIS OK BYE

@realmonsterboyhours sorry for @ing you so hard 🤣

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Desired Disobedience:  Chapter 2

 Ryou struggled to find a way out of the sigil binding.  He knew there had to be one - nothing was perfect.  Nothing was flawless, not even the bonds Camula had put on him three years earlier.  He knew there was a way out of those, but it wasn't a way he could exploit.  This wasn't like that.  Sigils did have a flaw - if they were wiped out, then their power faded.  It existed only as long as they were whole.  That was why the strongest sigil magic was that forged into metals.  Anything else could be easily destroyed, assuming it was a substance that could be destroyed.

Such as the collar around his neck.  Silver wasn't fatal to vampires - only wood or sunlight truly could harm him - but it wasn't a good feeling by any means.  It didn't help that the collar was just a trifle tight.  He didn't need to breathe but comfort remained regardless, and the collar bit into him.

I wonder if Haou would like to keep this on me.  His thoughts seared with bitterness.  He could honestly believe Haou would like that, though of course one more tailored to his tastes.  It was the kind of thing Haou enjoyed, displaying his mastery over a former enemy.  Johan's leather armor served the same purpose.  So did, in effect, Ryou's vampirism.  Haou defeated them and it showed in everything about them.

He hated Haou but thinking about him gave him a different focus instead of the dark sorcerer who lounged so temptingly close and yet so far away.  The sigils on the floor binding him and the collar around his neck prevented him from doing anything about this.  The longer he knelt here, the closer it came to sunrise, and there didn't exist a sigil that could protect him from the sun.  He wondered if Vail knew that, or cared if he did.

He needs to care.  I can hardly suck Haou dry if I'm a pile of ashes myself.  He'd heard rumors - a vampire always heard rumors, it could hardly be helped, not when he hid in shadows as a matter of course and could hear almost anything others whispered about - that if a vampire were reduced to ashes, they could be restored by someone dropping blood on those ashes.  While he knew the truth or lies of most vampire legends, that one he wasn't sure of.  He'd never asked Camula, and he suspected if it could be done so easily, she'd not be so eager to avenge the slights against her.

His eyes flicked to the wall where he could see a thin beam of morning sunlight slowly starting to rise.  Perhaps something in the movement caught Vail's attention, since the sorcerer turned towards him. 

"Oh, yes.  You do need to hide away from the sun, don't you?"  He smirked, flicking his fingers through Ryou's hair one more time.  "And I suppose you're getting hungry."  It wasn't a question.  Ryou had intended on feeding from him when he'd come here.  But he'd not been able to and now he had to fight every urge in his body, along with the binding sigils.  One said to strike, to feed, while the other kept him as neatly in check as an order from Haou.

"Yes."  That much he could manage to strain out.  He could feel the urge to add a 'master' and bit down as hard as he could to keep it inside.  Vail cupped his chin and stared down at him, lips curved into a very amused smile.

"Say it,"  he murmured.  "You know that you want to.  It's not as if you've never said it before.  You were born to serve a master and now I am that one."

Ryou thought that was so much horse droppings but he couldn't say that, no matter how much he wanted to.  He couldn't read the sigils but he had a pretty good idea that at least one of them forbade him from insulting Vail.  He kept his lips as pressed together as he could. 

"Say it."  Vail's order came crisp and strong and carried by the power of the sigils.  Despite all of Ryou's efforts, his lips parted.

"Master."  It tasted like ashes on his tongue, much as addressing Haou respectfully did.  Perhaps this was even worse.  Haou never claimed to be anything but a monster.  Even before he'd known that Ryou came with intent to deceive him, he'd been quite happy to hurt Ryou should the occasion arise.  This sorcerer forced people to pretend to like him and sucked their lives from them.

Vail groaned in delight.  "Oh, I do like how that sounds.  I could get so very used to that."  He raised Ryou to his feet with a gesture, the sigils releasing him just enough so Ryou could follow him out of the room.  "Perhaps I will, once Haou is disposed of.  Such a bratty child he is."  Vail's nose wrinkled.  "Did you know that I lost a great deal of money because of him once?"

Ryou hadn't known.  Nor did Ryou actually care.  But Vail seemed the type to rattle on about himself whether or not anyone actually listened, just to hear himself talk.

"This was when he first came to serve Brron as a gladiator.  Quite a while ago,"  Vail mused as they walked through well-lit corridors - thankfully lit by magic instead of sunlight.  Ryou listened only because he had no choice.  He'd heard that Haou had once been one of Brron's gladiators and had eventually defeated and killed the Mad King.  "There was another gladiator in the chief position at the time - one Amon Garam."

That wasn't a name Ryou recalled having heard.  He wasn't surprised to find out why.

"I visited Brron in those days and he had his two best gladiators - Garam and Haou, known as Yuuki Juudai in those days, fight one another to the death for our amusement."  Vail breathed in a long deep breath.  "Oh, such a glorious combat it was.  The victor would either become Brron's chief gladiator or continue in the position.  I wagered on Garam.  He had years of experience and a fine deck. All that brat had was talent - a lot of it, I grant."

Ryou really could have done without this.  But Vail seemed to take the long way around to wherever they were going, just so he could keep on talking.  At least he wasn't obliged to answer.  He appreciated that.

"But he claimed victory.  A very stunning upset as well.  Garam's scream when he died was impressive."  Vail sighed again, perhaps in memory.  "And by doing so, he lost me a great deal of money to Brron.  Not that I couldn't afford it, but I don't like losing what's mine.  I decided then and there that the day would come when I defeated that little brat in some fashion.  And thus when I heard of what he did to you - creating such a powerful creature and taming it to his hand - I decided then that I would have you for my own."

I think if I could feel sick, this would do it.  There wasn't much that Ryou liked about being undead.  This particular lack of sensation counted among those few perks.

Finally Vail stopped in front of a door.  "You'll stay here until I come for you at sunset,"  he ordered.  "Now, since it is a while before I'm going to send you to Haou, I might allow you to feed tonight.  If I decide that you deserve it."  He regarded Ryou thoughtfully before reaching out to trace a finger over the sigil-carved collar.  "Do behave yourself.  Haou might threaten you with your brother.  I have someone else I have my eye on."

There were few people that Ryou wanted to protect to the point he'd obey someone he hated.  He didn't want to know who this sorcerer thought he could threaten.  He entered the room, not surprised to find that it wasn't much better than a cell.  No decorations, not even a window slit for air, no windows.  In point of fact, he thought it was a closet that had been emptied out.  Or worse; most closets usually had something that involved air flow.  Not this one.

"Good day,"  Vail purred as he closed the door, and Ryou heard it lock as he did.  There wasn't anywhere for him to sit down save the floor and he settled down there.  With no need to brethe, the lack of air flow didn't bother him, but it did annoy him.  He hated being treated like a thing, like a weapon with no voice or will of his own.  Bad enough that Haou did it - Haou at least allowed him to talk back and provided a room that while it did feature sunlight at inconvenient times of day, did also have areas where the sun never touched.  Haou did that merely to display his superiority over Ryou, not because he considered Ryou a knife that might go bad if left in the sunlight.

The sigils floated around him, as they had since he'd risen up and followed Vail.  They weren't as powerful like this as they were when they were etched into something but they were enough to keep him in check.  He wanted to be anywhere but here.  He had to admit that he didn't mind the idea of draining Haou dry.  It was what the monster deserved, if not worse.  But he refused to do it because someone else wanted him to do it, especially not Vail.

I need a way out of here.  The sigils kept him too tightly hedged, no matter what he tried, though.  What he could do was a little movement, nothing more.  It wasn't even enough movement for him to reach into the inner pocket of his coat, where his deck resided.

The tiniest flicker of a thought occurred to him.  He couldn't be certain if it would work.  He hadn't spoken to them in ages.  Sometimes he wondered if they were even still there.  He pressed his lips together, wondering.  How long had it been?  Oh.  He knew.

Before he'd been captured, before he'd been turned.  Haou had removed his deck when he'd been taken, and he had no idea of what had happened to it until after he'd been turned.  He'd not tried to speak to the spirits in his deck since then.  Since he no longer needed to duel, and he couldn't drag up the enthusiasm he'd once had for it, it didn't seem worth the effort.

Now it seemed like it should be worth it.  He closed his eyes and focused.  The sigils didn't seem to have been made to stop this, at least. 

Ryou?  Cyber Dragon's voice echoed faintly in his mind.  It's been so long. 

"I know,"  he murmured, keeping his voice as low as possible.  "I am sorry.  I - have changed a great deal."

We know. We've watched you as much as we could.  He could feel something similar to scales touch against the side of his neck. When he opened his eyes he could see the shimmering, transparent form of one of his favored monsters hovering near him. But we are yours and you are ours, no matter what.  You need our help.

Ryou didn't like asking for help, but he knew that he needed it right now.  "The collar you can't take off."

No.  Only someone of the blood of the Light can.  Cyber Dragon touched their nose to the collar.  It is beyond our power.  But these sigils?  Cyber Dragon chuffed out a laughed.  Not difficult at all.  But do you want us to?

Ryou at first didn't understand - of course he did.  Then colder sense asserted itself.  If Cyber Dragon could dispel the sigils, then Vail would know.  He would still be in here, unable to escape.  Despite all the tales, turned vampires like him weren't able to turn into mist or bats or whatever else.  He thought Camula might be able to do that, but she'd been born what she was.  That conferred different abilities. 

"Not now,"  he murmured, thinking over what they could do.  "How far away from me can you go?"

Not far enough.  But we won't need to.  We are with you, always.  Cyber Dragon brushed against him one more time.  Rest.  You need that, at least.

He didn't sleep the same way that humans did.  This place wouldn't be as comfortable or as reviving as resting in his own quarters, which contained a significant amount of the native soil that he required.  Native soil, in his case, meant a portion of the soil where he'd grown up.  He'd not thought of the place in many years, until Haou provided the soil for him and he found himself resting much easier.

But he could rest regardless and now he settled himself as comfortably as his surroundings permitted.  Aware of the presence of his spirits, those beings who had fought beside him so many times, he let his mind slip away into that place that was neither awake or asleep, but the infinite resting of those who weren't alive or dead.

As always, he had no idea of how long it had been before he opened his eyes.  What he did know was that outside, the sun had set.  He always woke up at sunset.  He could keep himself awake past sunrise with effort, but it wasn't a good idea.  He waited; Vail would be there soon.  The sigils hadn't changed at all.  He wondered if he really would be allowed to feed.

Without warning the door unlocked and swung open.  Vail stood n the other side, now garbed in an entirely different but equally flamboyant style, and gestured.

"Time to get up.  I see you didn't make any foolish attempts to escape, so I will allow you to feed. Aren't you glad that you behaved yourself?"

Ryou wanted to smile.  But he refused to so much as provide a hint as to what he thought.  Instead, he allowed only certain words to fall rom his lips.

"Yes, master."  He knew he looked forward - if that was the right way to frame it - to an entire week of this.  But he had not survived all of Haou's torture for two years and then the three years of undeath after it to submit to this idiot.  He had endured.  H would endure.

Vail had him follow, returning to the chamber where Ryou had been captured the night before. Once again he was forced to kneel while Vail savored a late dinner, then gestured a servant over.  It wasn't the one that had allowed Ryou in the night before, but someone a bit on the older side, with terrified eyes as she spied Ryou there.  She raised no protests, however, as Vail addressed his captive vampire.

"I have no further use for this one,"  Vail decreed.  "But they're still full of blood.  Take it.  Take every bit of it."

It wasn't the first time Ryou had had his meals chosen for him.  He rose to his feet and made it as painless as he could.  The servant barely had time to cry out before the life faded from her.  Ryou fed, drinking every last drop.  When he was done, he lowered the body to the ground and wiped his mouth clean.  He hated making a mess when he ate, but he often had no choice.

"Not nearly as elegant as what I can do,"  Vail decided dismissively. "But I do look forward to seeing you do that to Haou.  Won't you?"

Ryou searched for the words he wanted to say and that he could say.  He chose them with the greatest of care.  "I believe it will be a fascinating sight.  Master."

"To say the least, my vampire. To say the least." 

Haou played lightly with Johan's hair, thinking.  He'd cleared off most of his schedule and had even entertained himself to the point he wanted something else to do.  Normally he'd pass extra time by either watching someone else duel or feeding his pet vampire.  But the Hell Kaiser wasn't there right now. 

That didn't quite disturb him; he knew the vampire wouldn't be able to do anything that he didn't approve of.  But he didn't like not having Hell Kaiser around.  It was like not having one's favorite toy - well, second favorite toy.  Johan remained his favorite, though the Kaiser made such exquisite sounds of pain.

Where did he run off to?  Normally Hell Kaiser didn't stray far from the castle.  He could travel swiftly as a vampire but he couldn't always be certain of finding a good meal, let alone a proper and safe place to rest.  That was just one of the many ties that bound him to Haou.

He considered carefully, then turned slightly to where Fallen Angel Lucifer stood, observing the quiet antics of his court.  "Could I borrow one of your servants?  I want someone to find Hell Kaiser for me."

Lucifer raised one flawless eyebrow, his wings twitching briefly.  "Oh?  I thought he had a great deal of time before he needed to be back here."

"He does.  That doesn't mean I don't want to know where he is.  They don't have to bring him back.  Just let me know where he is and what he's doing."  Haou shrugged.  He could probably have found the vampire on his own if he put in the effort, but it was starting to get late, and he wanted to get to bed soon.  Sometimes it was quite annoying to have a vampire servant, regardless of how convenient of a punishment it had been at the time.

Lucifer considered. "I think Desire is available. I'm sure he wouldn't mind looking - for a price, of course."  His lips curved into a quick semblance of a smile.  "I'm sure you know what he would want."

Haou chuckled.  "Bring back interesting information and Desire can have him every night for a month."  He knew very well what Fallen Angel Desire could be like when he was in a mood - that was where he'd learned a great deal of what he knew about sex, after all.  Hell Kaiser had picked up a few lessons of his own, whether he liked it or not.

Lucifer tilted his head forward.  "I shall inform him at once."  With a flicker of dark wings he was gone, and Haou returned his full attention to Johan, who stared up at him adoringly.  Haou brushed his fingers against Johan's cheek.  The mention of Desire stirred up that exactly - not that he ever had a lack of it.

"Time for bed," he murmured.  Tonight would be wonderful.

Lucifer flitted through the air in search of his brother.  Desire seldom arrived at Haou's court, but he did turn up for certain occasions.  Like all of the Fallen Angels, once Haou had established his realm, he'd come to pledge his loyalty.  By human standards, he was Haou's uncle, and that required certain actions, just as Haou being the incarnate form of the Destructive Darkness did.

It didn't take long to find Desire.  Desire was never truly hard to find, after all.  He sat perched on a high tower, regarding everything below him, scarlet wings drenched in moonlight.  He had removed his helmet, up here where only someone else who could fly might see him, and Lucifer admired his brother's elegant beauty before he settled down next to him.

"There's a mission for you, if you want it,"  Lucifer said, getting right to the point.  "And I think that you're going to want it.  The reward is something I know you're going to enjoy."

Desire raised an eyebrow lightly.  "Oh?  Do tell." 

Lucifer could already tell that he was interested.  He knew the light in his brother's eyes so very well.  He traced one finger down his own wings carelessly.  "I'm certain you recall Hell Kaiser."

Desire licked his lips, smiling.  "Quite well.  I presume this involves him?"

"It seems he's wandered off a bit.  Haou-sama doesn't want him returned, but he does want to know where he is.  Find him and bring back any interesting information, and you'll be allowed to have Hell Kaiser in your bed for an entire month." 

By the time Lucifer finished, Desire reached for his helmet and slipped it back over his head.  Lucifer quite clearly saw the lust and pleasure written all over his face before the helmet settled into place.  "I'll be back before morning." 

Lucifer chuckled.  "Don't be too noisy when you're enjoying yourself,"  he admonished lightly.  "Some of us enjoy sleeping at night."

 Desire glanced back at him.  "Shouldn't I tell that to you?  You make far more noise than I ever could."  He spread his wings and leaped up into the air, circling carefully as he did.  He was excellent for this task; if once Desire had someone in his bed, then he could locate them again with little effort.  The more he bedded someone, the stronger his sense of their location grew.

While he hadn't had Hell Kaiser all that often, clearly the connection was strong enough, and soon he flitted out of sight.  Lucifer watched him go, before heading to his own quarters. He wanted to be up early; something had been on his mind lately and he wanted to think it through before he approached Haou-sama with his suspicions. 

Desire coasted along through the air, following that inner sense that told him his target lay in this direction.  He wondered vaguely why Hell Kaiser had come out here to the realm of Vail. Perhaps feeding?  He did come out far from Haou's castle when he hadn't been given anyone else to feed on.

I do wish Haou-sama would allow me to keep him for longer than a month.  He would quite enjoy it.  But at least he had this month, if he could find something interesting to bring back to Haou.  If Hell Kaiser met with rebels or something of the sort here, that might be interesting enough to get the reward.

He darted here and there, covering great swaths of territory with each flap of his wings.  He wanted to make certain that he went the right way.  Vampires could cover almost as much ground as he did, and the sun had come up in the morning, which should have driven Hell Kaiser into sleeping somewhere.  Of course, by now he could be traveling again.  Almost anything could happen and Desire found that interesting in and of itself.

It was getting close to midnight before he found any hint of what he was looking for.  He spied a human of perhaps middle-age slumped down beside a fountain, sobbing loudly enough to be heard even from as high above as he was.  He flitted downward and landed next to them.  The human - a female - raised her head to look at him and stared, captivated almost at once as Desire strolled forward.

"What brings you to such tears?"  Desire asked, voice pitched low.  Humans always seemed to react better to soft voices, he'd noticed.  "Has your lord harmed you?"  It certainly wouldn't be the first time.  Everyone knew about Vail and how he maintained himself over the years. 

Slowly the human shook her head, biting her lip.  "I - not really.  But - sort of?"  She wibbled a little.  "My mother works - worked for him.  She was very loyal, very obedient.  She did everything that he wanted for my entire life.  But earlier tonight, she told me that he'd not only discharged her, but he decided she was going to feed his new pet."

Desire cared enough about his brothers to know how infuriating it could be to have someone of the blood disposed of in such a callous fashion. That was her lord's right, of course, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt.  "What sort of pet?"  Perhaps he could at least get her distracted.  He considered visiting Vail to see if he'd seen Hell Kaiser as well.  It was worth a chance.

"A vampire he captured just last night.  All of the servants were warned he would be coming and if he spoke to any of us, to allow him in.  Master Vail planned this for a long time."  She sniffled.  "I think he wants to kill Haou with the vampire."

Desire frowned slightly, though the expression wasn't visible behind his helmet.  "Have you seen this vampire?"

"No.  Master Vail keeps him close.  But rumor has it that the creature belonged to Haou.  That's why he's going to be used to kill Haou."

Desire wasn't going to believe that right away.  But he had his own methods of finding out, some more direct than others.  He brushed one armored hand against the side of her face, his voice laced with magic.

"Your mother is at rest.  Mourn her and move on.  Honor her and her service."  His eyes bored into her mind.  "And forget you ever saw me."

Human minds were far too easy to manipulate, in his opinion.  Not that he would complain about that right now.  He took himself back to the air, planning the next step.  Too soon to return to Haou and he didn't have nearly enough information. It could be Hell Kaiser.  There weren't many other vampires that Haou owned.  One might consider Camula, but if the vampire were male, then perhaps it could very well be him.

He leapt back into the air and soared his way towards Vail's capital city, plotting his line of action.

Ryou knew that sunrise was on the way.  Vail stayed awake just to have the pleasure of toying with him during his time of awareness.  He droned onward about magnificent duels that he'd seen and apparently arranged, and dropped a few hints he wouldn't mind seeing Ryou doing battle.  Ryou had to admit that sounded a lot better than he wanted to think about.

"Duels in my realm take place with these,"  Vail said, tapping a spiked collar with matching armbands.  "They inflict damage upon whoever uses them when damage to one's life points occurs.  Of course, as you are undead, it won't have the same effect on you, would it?  Just imagine how high I can set the damage."

Ryou refused to respond at all.  Hearing from Cyber Dragon made him feel a little better.  He hadn't seen any of the spirits since being brought out of that closet, but he could feel the awareness of the other spirits, from Cyber End Dragon all the way to the Cyberdarks.  The Cyberdarks seemed interested in this damage inflicting system, but not enough to encourage him to take them up.

Vail looked as if he were about to get up and head on to bed, probably tucking Ryou in the closet at the same time.  Before he did, a servant entered, bowing low.

"Vail-sama,"  the servant spoke when the dark sorcerer granted permission.  "You have a guest. Fallen Angel Desire has arrived, requiring lodging."

Vail smiled.  "Is that so?  How fascinating."  He turned his attention to Ryou.  "You know him, don't you?  I have heard rumors.  Quite thrilling ones."

He didn't seem to really want an answer this time.  Ryou took pleasure in not giving it.  Vail gestured for him to stay where he was as he headed out of the room.  Ryou did not relax for a moment.  He wasn't certain of what to think of Desire being there, if Desire even was.  He'd not trust that until he saw the Fallen Angel for himself, and he might even not trust it then.  There were shapeshifters and illusionists everywhere.

But why would Desire be here, if it was him?  Ryou didn't know the answer to that.  Desire normally remained in what had once been Norbu - it had been renamed but Ryou couldn't remember what the new name was.  Though given that Haou intended to 'celebrate' having had Ryou turned, perhaps he'd arrived for that.  It would be like him. 

A handful of minutes later, Vail entered the chamber, with a familiar figure by his side.  Ryou sniffed the air and knew at once this was Desire. He would never mistake that scent. 

Desire regarded him thoughtfully, then glanced at Vail.  "So you do have him.  I wouldn't have thought it possible to bind him like this.  The bond between a created vampire and their sire is quite strong."

"Oh, I don't doubt that Camula could break the sigils if she were here,"  Vail said with a wave of one hand, resuming his place on his favorite lounge and gesturing Desire to seat himself elsewhere.  "But she's not, and I'm having her distracted elsewhere.

"How fascinating."  Desire lounged backwards, all of his attention on Vail.  Ryou kept himself as still as he could.  He wasn't sure what to make of this new turn of events.  He couldn't guess at why Desire was there or why he spoke to Vail so civilly.   "I gather you intend to have him feed off Haou?  Why else take his pet vampire?"

"Oh, I have more uses for him than that.  You, of all beings, can see what other uses he might have."  Vail laughed a silken laugh.  "He could also be a fine duelist again.  Have you ever seen these?"  He tapped the shock collars he'd left on the table, explaining what they could do.  Desire made sounds of appreciation and enjoyment.

"I've heard that he's a spectacular duelist, or used to be one at least,"  Desire agreed.  He regarded Ryou as one might regarded a pretty hollow trinket.  "I quite agree that seeing him defeat an opponent could be fascinating. Especially as he cannot feel the damage in the same way.  When did you intend to try him out with these?"

Vail pressed one finger against his lip.  "I think I can arrange an opponent for him tomorrow night.  Did you intend to watch?"

"Oh, I think I would love that.  I must inform my brother, of course, that I have been unavoidably detained."  He waved one hand.  "But you don't have to worry about that.  We can communicate with one another easily with magic."

Vail nodded, waving one hand.  "As you wish."  He smirked, regarding Ryou again.  "I am aware that you've had him in your bed before.  Would you care to renew your acquaintance?  He'll be rather quiet unless I wish otherwise.  If that matters?"

"I do prefer him making some noise.  But I would indeed enjoy his company."  He snorted briefly.  "I swear to you, my brother Lucifer thinks he can command my loyalty to Haou merely because we share blood.  I would watch him drain all the life from that upstart and Lucifer and enjoy the sight."

That made rather more sense to Ryou than he would have especially enjoyed.  But his opinion on any of this wasn't asked, as Vail had him get up and follow Desire through the corridors and to the quarters Desire had been assigned.  The door closed and locked behind them, and Desire settled down on the bed, pulling out a silver crystal from nowhere.  He regarded it for a few moments before he breathed on it, then whispered, "Lucifer, dear brother.  Answer me."

To Be Continued

Notes: And next week I finish this up!

[a-forgotten-spirit]

Chained To Him (4)

Pairing: Dad Aizawa x Reader (Platonic), Dad Mic x Reader (Platonic), Bakugou x Reader

Summary: Sports Festival and chilling with the best dads. 

Words: +-3200

Warnings: Orphan, villain parents, voices talking to you, sports festival, SLOW BUILD

A/N: Everyone lives on campus except you to make my life a little bit easier. It’s a slow build story, it’s going to be awhile. If you want anything in particular or have questions send me an ask. I look at them. Please leave a comment they make my life.

Tagged: @puppetofyourdreams​

I AM TAKING REQUESTS FOR THIS SERIES AND OTHER ONESHOTS.

Masterlist

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 

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Chapter 3

“Target locked, target acquired” the robot sang out, voice croaking and not right, was now the right time to show off my quirk, after-all Todoroki had already shown off his.

“Duck” I did just that. “Left” I skidded to the left, this was how I would get past. No time for thinking, I ran full force straight ahead “Jump” I jumped the robot missing my form. “Skid” falling to my hip I skid beneath the monster of a thing. “Run” throwing myself back up I didn’t have time to slow down. I hadn’t fought these robots, I got in with zero-to-no effort. Though from the cold wind running down my back I knew Todoroki wasn’t far behind. The sounds of ice were loud and then the sound of the robot falling.

“In the lead, we have Aizawa and Todoroki from class 1-A” I smiled at the last name. Pa’s voice loud and proud, that was my last name. I was their daughter, a child born of love and happiness. My eyes narrowed and I sprinted faster. I was going to win this, I was going to show everyone I was the best. I sounded like Bakugou.

I needed to do this, to show not only my class but everyone here I can do this. I was ignoring the commentating. I had to focus. The second obstacle was coming up, it was roped, over long falls. I smirked. Without an ounce of hesitation, I ran across them, just like Dad. He ran across power lines all the time and I had picked up a thing or two, it was his job. I constantly watched him when he was on TV as a kid, I had practised with and without the use of my quirk. I was balanced and running. It was easy to make it to the other side, Todoroki and his ice not far behind. I could also hear explosions, Bakugou. Running up the red stairs I spared a glance, right behind me.

“And now we are finally approaching the last obstacle, everyone better tread carefully. You’re stepping into a minefield” Pa yelled over the speakers, a piece of cake. Pa continued to talk as I ran forward and could hear Todoroki gasp behind me.

“Jump” I jumped. “Left” I stepped to the left, I wasn’t looking down, only letting the voice tell me what to do. They may not be nice all the time but if I died, they disappeared. “Jump left” I jumped left. “Forward” I sprinted, “Right” I stepped. I was missing them all though this was a long run. Stamina was a strong point and I knew my face was plastered on the TV’s this was my time to shine.

Todoroki was close behind and I could hear some going off, but having my little spies watching I smirked “Why don’t you go make life a little difficult for some people” I could hear small laughter and then more explosions. A little foot placement, a little yelling and boom more people were out of the running. “Good work team” I smirked, I was in the lead. “We can win this”

We were going well, I was in the lead, now neck and neck with both Todoroki and Bakugou until there was a yell “Strike that the lead is his” it was Pa, looking up I see Midoriya on a piece of metal flying above me. No, this can’t be happening.

I was sprinting, pushing all of my energy into my legs, I wasn’t going to lose. I was going to show that I will be just like my parents. Ice and explosions behind me, Todoroki and Bakugou. I had to go faster. I had to move faster. Midoriya was now sprinting next to me.

“Eraserhead your students are amazing, what are you teaching them” Pa yelled my chest was heaving and my legs were pushing myself more than ever before. I had to win this, I had to show the world I was meant to be here. “Faster” the voices whispered “Faster” I pushed “Faster”

“It has nothing to do with me, each of them is powered by their drive to succeed” I could see the light through the tunnel, with a new burst of energy and the will of the gods themselves I sped up, I could practically feel their breaths on my neck. My hair bouncing around and then I ran through. “Y/N Aizawa and Izuku Midoriya are our champions” Pa yelled. I was still running and slowly came to a stop. My chest moving quickly, cheers and yelling being heard loud and clear. I turned to Midoriya eyes narrowed and angry.

“He stole the win” “Could have won” “Should have been faster” “He won”

Voice flooded my ears and I glared at him with anger and anger alone. My hands were shaking and I look to him “Good job” I spoke, he looked scared as I stared at him, voices floating around.

“Thank you” he whispered and nodded, determined and green hair bouncing around in a mess of strands. “You did really well” I could see a few people listening in now.

“I’d watch my back, I don’t take losing lightly” with a turn of my heel I walked away, eyes narrowed I heard some people talking and looking around, voices. They weren’t impressed either. We could have won. I came to stand where I was meant too and sighed.

“The first game for the first years is finally over, what a game it was. Now let’s take a look at the status shall we” Midnight called out body tilted and hip out. Looking up to the screen my name was first then Midoriya, I scowled. Todoroki than Bakugou, second and third. I guess we shared first. Others names but I didn’t care, they meant nothing at this moment. “Only the top forty-two will advance to the next round but, don’t be to let down if you didn’t make the cut we prepared other opportunities for you to shine” it was only fair to the people who didn’t make it got more time. I didn’t blame them. “Now the real fun is about to begin the chance to fully move into the limelight. Give it your best. Let’s see what we have in store for you next” again the hologram. “Will your fantasies come to life or will the waiting be torture. Prepare yourselves” I could feel my heart race “For this” the words came up and I let the air from my lungs. “Allow me to explain. The participants will form teams of two to four people as they see fit, in theory, it's seen as a regular playground game but there is one difference. Everyone has been placed on a point value from the obstacle course. She explained the point but then “The points placed on the first is ten million” I felt my heart sink and I was sure so did Midoriya. Everyone would be after us. I felt everyone's eyes on me and all words after that were like nothing.

I had to choose a team but no one would want to be with me knowing I was worth the most points, screw this for everything it was worth. My quirk was good for this sort of thing, I could win this. Maybe not. My heart was beating with rapid-fire. “Calm” I heard a whisper in my ear and I could feel the pressure on my hand like someone was holding it. I looked down no one was, I was never alone. I had my spirits. My heart slowed and I squeezed back. “We are here with you”

The rules were simple and easy but I knew it wouldn’t be easy with the target on my head. Quirks were able to be used and no foul play, fifteen minutes to find a team. No one knew me this was going to be difficult though it didn’t matter my teams' point as I had so many. Everyone seemed to have set places. Maybe Bakugou, maybe Kirishima.

I was walking close to him. “Bakugou” I called out and he looked at me “Team with me” everyone went silent. It seemed he already had Kirishima. People were standing around him. “You can be the top I don’t care, I can deal with all around us. I have eyes and ears everywhere” he knew that he knew my quirk well after all our conversations. “We will be targeted but with my quirk on defence we can win this”

He was listening intently and then looked at my body up and down “Done” there I had my team, well some of the team. I, we could win this. I needed people for this. I smiled and nodded. Kirishima looked confused, it was easy to get into a group with Bakugou, we were friends and my quirk was quite useful for this game. Todoroki already had a team and Midoriya was looking for a team. Bakugou didn’t fear people so it was easy to team with him.

“Bakugou can be the rider, Kirishima on left, Sero on right and I on front. My chains can go anywhere I wish though they come from my back. I have” I paused and swallowed “Other talents to know where every single person on the field is at any one time” they looked around, scared. “I will talk if I need to move and Bakugou you might be thrown around. We will protect your blindspot and if anyone comes close” I smiled eyes wide “I don’t care who I have to destroy in the process” I could see the fear as Kirishima and Sero nodded.

“I’m gonna kill them all” I nodded. We had a good friendship and for this simple game, we could put our rivalry aside and work together. Our group was formidable and no one would break us apart.

“Oh, goodie it’s time to get this party started” Midnight called out, stretching her arms. She did get overly excited in these cases but it was all in good nature, she was just excited for us. I couldn’t blame her.

“After fifteen minutes of strategy, twelve cavalry teams are ready to go head to head” Pa called across the stadium, I wanted to run up and hug my parents. I was having the time of my life here. I wanted to share it with them. “Come on everyone put your hands in the air,” he finished.

“Ready,” I asked my hands holding onto the bottom of Bakugou’s shoes, they all called out. “Bakugou lean on my shoulders, I want to know where your hands are at all times” he nodded and I felt him lean down, hands hot and ready.

“He’s touching us” I flushed and shook my head trying to get the voices to stop. I was well aware he was touching us. It was hard to miss the heat radiating from his palms. I ignored the rest of the words being pressed into my ear. We were worth a lot of points but we could win this. We needed to keep these points or steal more, losing is not an option.

The count down rang and immediately everyone came running at us. “Move” we began to run, I was in the front. “Down” I yelled and we all dropped for a moment. I could see something go over Bakugous’ head making a grab for the headband.”Move” I yelled and we were off.

People going after Midoriya as well, dark shadow as a defence was a smart move but not smart enough. We weren’t going for them, that would be like a lamb going for a bull. Too many groups, not enough space. “Left” I gripped Bakugous’ shoes and we turned quick and fast. “Bakugou” we were running to the side.

“Got it” I heard and smirked, another headband, we were off running again. As long as I kept Bakugou entertained he wouldn’t try anything overly dumb. Even small groups would be enough to sedate him for now. He wanted a challenge but he also wanted to win. I felt his hands back on my shoulders.

I ducked bringing him forward into my back as I saw another hit. I stood straight and ran. “Sorry that was close” my shoulders were squeezed. It was reassuring. “Right” quick turning was our strength. We were talking and that’s all we needed. Four groups. And then Bakugou was gone, his weight leaving. I looked up seeing him, at least the headbands were safe. “Bakugou” I called out. “Stupid idiot. Sero” I turned.

“Got it” he had been blocked by a dark shadow, he was a strong opponent, I clearly wasn’t entertaining him enough. As he was falling Sero grabbed his arm pulling his body back to us at an awkward angle but we caught him nonetheless.

“Please don’t do that again,” I asked and he rolled his eyes and spoke in cursive. We had him back on his feet quickly. “You have a lot of points I don’t want you flying through the air” another squeeze to my shoulders, a sorry?

“Bakugou has been separated from his horses, is that even allowed” Did Pa really need to say that. A quick glare to him in the tower and a dodge from a team we were off again.

“He didn’t touch the ground so technically its ok” good at least we hadn’t been disqualified. I hadn’t even thought of losing Bakugou. I had to be on high alert, higher than I already was.

We were running but we came to the end of the field. We didn’t have room to move. Groups from all directions. “What do we do” Kirishima called out. We couldn’t let Bakugou leave not with so many points right now. We had taken two more teams on the way.

“Midoriyas’ team was allowed to leave the ground and Bakugou isn’t allowed to touch the ground” I yelled over everyone, chains springing from my back, I needed us all together, time to show off my quirk. I grabbed everyone and threw us into the air, I heard the gasps and yells. We were all together but we were still in the air. We were high, almost over the stadium. “Hold on” I felt Kirishima hold the chain. “Kirishima how hard can you be thrown”

“As hard as you want” we were just falling through the air as I looked around. If I threw him it would create a big enough impact that no one would be able to see us for a while and we could steal more headbands and get Bakugou to safety.

“Well harden up” I yelled and threw him towards the ground I brought in Sero and Bakugou as I pushed chains into the ground so I could lower us at a safe level, I could hear Kirishima yelling as he hardened and then hit the ground, the wind pushing dust and dirt into the air. I lowered us, picked him up and then we were off. “To your right” a headband. “Right again” another one. “Left” another one. Kirishima wasn’t hurt and had a wide smile as did Sero. We were coming to the final minutes as we left the dust storm. I could hear the yelling as people realised they did not have their headbands. “How you doing up there” I called out.

“We're going to fucking win” Bakugou called out and everyone laughed, this was fun. This was teamwork. This showed the Pros that we couldn’t only work together but work well and in time, thinking faster and winning. Fifteen minutes were going fast.

“Oh look at 1-A being so high and mighty” it was that blonde boy from 1-B. “You’re kinda famous aren’t you for getting attacked by that sludge villain” no, no, no. Bakugou was getting mad and I could tell his palms heating and body shaking. “You’ll have to tell me about it sometime, it must be strange to see yourself in the role of the victim”

“Y/N we have a change of plans” his voice was raspy and angry, the blonde seemed to have quite a few headbands as well. I looked back and I swear I could see red around his form, anger and revenge for the other words ringing through him. This wasn’t good. “Before we win, we’re gonna kill every last one of these B list idiots” I shook my head, He was now sitting on our arms not standing. Bakugou was screaming in anger. I didn’t have time for his revenge.

I held Kirishimas’ hand tighter as well as Seros’ “Bakugou stay calm please” I begged, we had so many points we could win this. We still had our original band. We were in the lead. We could stay here. “Bakugou I swear to god” I grit my teeth and wrapped a chain around him “Move” we were running as he screamed. “We have too many points for you to have a vendetta against someone we have no interest in” I turned my head “Besides we don’t associate with the lower class” I knew people had heard me but Bakugou was laughing now and nodded, agreeing. I needed to keep him entertained even if it meant hurting a few peoples’ feelings. I saw electricity and threw us in the air with zero thought.

We were in the air as we got rid of not only the electricity attack but the ice stopping people from moving. This was a lot to deal with. I couldn’t even see the ice attack. I was looking around we had strayed quite close to them, though I did notice Todoroki had only gone for Midoriya, he had something against him. I stilled, it was only the three of our groups in this little ice wall.

“I'm going to kill them” Bakugou yelled and pushed us forward with the power of an explosion. I ground my chains into the ground and then stopped us at least to just try and stop Bakugou from killing someone.

“Bakugou I swear to the lord above I will kill you myself” I growled and tried desperately to not get Bakugou to move. I was watching the two teams. Iida was fast far too fast right now. Midoriya doesn’t have his headband. In the heat of the moment and smoke clouding my vision I felt a weight leave my arms, I looked back “Where the fuck is Bakugou” I screamed, he was gone. Where the fuck is he. I looked up and could see him in the air. I was going to actually kill him. Midoriya had gotten some points. Ten seconds.

I was trying to find Bakugou, he was moving so fast if he hit the ground we lost. My chain rushed forward “Times up” I grabbed him just before he hit the ground. As everyone stilled I let go of the other boys and held Bakugou in the air by his leg.

“What were you doing” I yelled and tilted my head “Well” the points still around his head as I let out a breath and calm down “Sorry Sorry” I sighed and smiled “If you ever try and do something like that again” I let all the air from my lungs and nodded.

That was enough for him to get the message.

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Chapter 5 in making - will be posted if in demand

[danetobelieve]

Who’s Fext? || Luce and Winston

As weird as it was being at a high school alumni event, Winston had to admit that at least Luce was there. She was cool. All the Vurals were. In their own way. If they had been forced to go through something like this alone then they weren’t sure that they would’ve come out of it entirely sane. They were dressed appropriately for the event. Just office wear really, a shirt and trousers, a jacket, sneakers, a hoodie, okay maybe they could’ve made more of an effort. But this was something that they were doing to keep their mother happy, rather then because they really wanted to. “Thank god,” Winston said as they headed out of the hall where the event had taken place, “I wasn’t sure that I could take another “have you ever shot a gun?” question if my life depended on it.” 

Why the high school had wanted her here was beyond Luce. She didn’t think that “tattoo artist at a local shop” ranked all that highly on the list of things that would inspire kids to stay in school. But, she’d spent her day in the art classes, talking to kids about what she did and how her classes had helped prepare her for her career. Which was objectively a lie-- what she’d learned as an apprentice was what had made her successful. But, they didn’t need to know that. Plus, it was good to see Winston here. She’d spent the last five years living out in her cabin, very deliberately avoiding other people. But, it wasn’t bad seeing the neighbor kid again. “You could have just lied. Would have been fun to see the teacher just go wide-eyed and pull the plug on the whole thing.” Luce said with a grin. “I straight up just told the kids that I dropped out of college a semester in.” SHe said as they walked down the hall together.

Laughing Winston couldn’t help but imagine what the AV club kids -- or whatever the current Gen Z equivalent was -- would say if they tried to claim that they had dropped out of college. “I don’t know if it would work as well for me if I tried to lie about dropping out of college or anything like that, if anything I think that they would know that there is no way that I can actually make it anywhere meaningful in my career without college.” They shuffled their feet as they made their way through the corridors of their old high school. High school hadn’t been the best, and they didn’t exactly miss it. Winston hadn’t really found their feet till college and at that point it was nice that they could put high school well behind them. “Besides, I think I’m still too hard wired to be a good student to fuck with a teacher like that. They probably don’t want to be here either.”

“That’s a good point. Your whole deal requires a lot of studying and shit.” Luce said with a nod. Winston had always been good at that sort of thing-- they’d pretty much grown up together, their interests in tech stuff had gone a long way back. “I figured. But, this is why you’re the one with the internship with WCPD. You’re good and law abiding like that.” Stretching, the material of her flannel shirt rubbed against her forearms in an almost suffocating way. She’d figured it wouldn’t have been a great idea to roll up in her usual outfit-- leather jacket, tank, and jeans-- so she’d worn a flannel under her usual jacket. It didn’t hide the tattoos on her hands, but the art teacher had known who she was inviting when she’d extended the offer. As they walked down the empty hallways, Luce glanced down one of the corridors, a smirk growing on her face. “Hey. Do you remember Mr. Blume? Taught chemistry? Wanna pop by and see if he’s still teaching here?”

“I mean, it is all just practice, just a different way of practicing to the work that you do. Besides, my kind of practicing is a lot less permanent then yours, I don’t know if I would have the nerve to give someone a tattoo, I’d be terrified of fucking up.” Winston swallowed at the thought, imagining how angry they would be if someone gave them a bad tattoo. How did people work their way around something like that? They knew that they definitely didn’t have the spine for it. “Wow, am I that easy to read?” Winston asked with a shake of their head, they tugged at the rolled up sleeves of the shirt they had worn today, wishing that they had taken a leaf out of Luce’s book and dressed more casually. A t-shirt would’ve been more comfortable. AS they moved down the corridors and headed towards the classrooms which were called ‘labs’ they found themselves nodding. “Oh hell yeah, I loved Mr. Blume, he was like the best teacher that they had in this place, is he still around?” Winston made their way down the corridors, in some ways it was like nothing at all had changed. Things seemed to be mostly the same and yet they were different. “Think he’s got the same classroom?” 

“That’s why there’s a three year apprenticeship. You practice on oranges for a long time, then pig skin, then yourself.” Luce said, rolling up her sleeves and showing them a faded and honestly kind of shitty crescent moon she had on the inside of her wrist. It was far from her best work, but she kept it as a reminder of how far she’d come in the last few years. “You just work until you’re too good to fuck up.” She said with an easy shrug. “And, you’re only easy to read cuz we grew up together, goofball.” Luce teased. As the two walked down the hall, she couldn’t help but smile a bit wistfully. High school hadn’t been too bad for her, honestly. She’d had to deal with being known as “Bea’s Little Sister” for a while, but by the time Nell and Winston got to high school, she’d carved out her own little niche in the art wing. “He might. I just remember blowing shit up when we learned about combustion reactions. That was fun.” She said with a smile. 

“Three years of training so that I could potentially ruin someone’s skin permanently,” Winston chuckled and shrugged, “I don’t think after all of that I would trust myself to do a really good job. But then again I was never the artist that you were.” They glanced at the tattoo and raised an eyebrow. “Damn, you actually did tattoo yourself, that must have been a weird experience.” Luce really seemed to be in her element when it came to tattoos and Winston was kind of impressed. “True, I think when you’ve known a family as long as the Dane’s and Vural’s have known each other then you really get good at reading people, I know exactly what it means when your mom purses her lips. You know how she does.” Winston hadn’t loved high school, they’d not exactly been popular and they’d had friends but they’d also had … well not friends. “He once dropped a tiny bit of sodium straight into a puddle for the class, I don’t think that the janitor ever forgave him for it,” they strutted down the corridor and paused outside of his classroom, peering through the little square window of glass set into the door, Winston spotted him working at the desk at the front of the class. “Hey, he’s in there, you wanna say hi?”

“Eh. It’s all about practice. Some people might start with talent, but that doesn’t mean shit compared to consistent practice.” Luce said, a hint of humor in her tone. That statement could be applied to magic as well. Bea had always been the focus of their parent’s attention, the first born, the one with the flare their parents were looking for. But talent didn’t measure ability. At the mention of her mother, Luce full body shuddered, shaking her head at the mere thought. “You’re not wrong in the slightest.” She agreed. Yet another quote-unquote benefit of living with her sisters… their mothers increased ability to meddle in her life. She fucking hated it. At least when she was in the woods, she’d had some physical distance to keep her family out of her life. Laughing, she grinned at Winston. “That sounds just like him. He is? Shit, yeah, let’s go in there.” Pulling open the door, Luce grinned and waved a hand. “Hey there, Mr. Blume. Still kicking huh?”

“I guess it’s like a musical instrument, the more that you work on it the more confident you are, but also the more able to deal with unexpected shit you are able to be… though I hope with tattoos you don’t often have to deal with any surprises.” Winston laughed gently at the idea of a surprise arising during a tattooing session. That wouldn’t be ideal. Obviously. “It’s nice that you’re back around, I know you had to do your time in the woods and stuff, but it’s cool to actually see you and Nell and Bea more now, there were a couple of years when I was in college and Nell was travelling, kinda felt like you guys were on a different planet you know.” The Vural family had always been beyond good to Winston and they would never forget that goodness. They had given them a lot and they would do whatever they needed to feel as if they were on equal footing once more. Following Luce into the classroom, Winston waved as well. “Hey Mr. Blume, can’t believe you’re still stuck here right…” they fell silent as Mr. Blume’s eyes snapped up and locked with Winston’s leaving a chill to trickle down their spine as they realised something was wrong, “you okay Mr. Blume?” 

“Yep, pretty much. Eh,” Luce paused, thinking about the strange walk-in tattoo that she’d just done the other day. “There are some surprises that can happen. Usually just people saying they’re ‘totally fine’ and then passing out on me. When you decide to get a tattoo, just be honest with your artist.” She advised. At their mention of the time when the family was spread all over the place, Luce’s joking expression wavered for a moment. If Winston thought they were on a different planet then, then call her a fucking astronaut. She’d rather be back in her cabin than living with Bea and Nell. She’d had an entire place to herself, now she had a room and a shed. A great shed, but still a shed. As soon as the two of them stepped closer, Luce’s eyes narrowed, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. There was something off, something evil about Mr. Blume. Not in a typical science teacher way either. In straight up, that’s some bad shit kind of way. As Winston moved closer, Luce grabbed them by the shoulder. “Don’t--” Before she could finish that sentence, Mr. Blume vaulted over his desk and hurtled towards them with unnatural speed.

Winston frowned for a moment, “I definitely think that I would be the type to think that I was totally fine when in actuality I would be moments away from passing out, besides, I’m not exactly the best with blood and shock and stuff…” they sighed and shook their head gently before continuing. “Either way, if I do get a tattoo I will do everything that I can to be entirely honest with whoever is putting a permanent mark on my body. Seems like it is in my best interests really.” They noticed Luce’s expression and immediately realised that she hadn’t felt the same. But now didn’t exactly seem the time to ask her about it, so Winston decided that they would simply have to ask about it later. Or not at all. Depended on how they felt it would be received. They didn’t want to intrude after all. “Fuck, run,” Winston didn’t need to see the empty look in Mr. Blume’s eye, they didn’t need to see the way that they had cleared that desk with a single bound and they didn’t need to see the bee line that they were making towards them, “run run run.” They were pushing Luce out of the door and sprinting after them. “I don’t remember Mr. Blume doing that when we had chemistry together, even when I forgot my homework a few too many times.”

As soon as Mr. Blume yeeted himself over the desk, Luce had already turned on her heel and started sprinting away. Thank god she didn’t go running this morning, her legs were fresh and she needed the extra oomph, given she was hauling ass in heavy fucking boots. “Less quipping, more running!” Luce yelled over her shoulder as she booked it down the hallways. The school was empty, which worked out in their favor. But, as she looked behind her, Luce saw that Mr. Blume was hot in pursuit and gaining fast. There was something about his eyes, a dead look behind them, that just screamed ‘oh fuck no’ to her. “This way! Shortcut outta school!” Grabbing Winston’s arm, she pulled a hard right down one of the hallways towards one of the back entrances she’d used to cut class back in the day. Here’s hoping the door lock was still busted. As they neared the double doors, Luce kicked her foot out to push open the door and ran outside into the darkness. 

It was all that Winston could do to stop themselves from screaming and swearing. Something that they weren’t about to do in front of someone who they had grown up in semi awe of. “Good idea, more running,” Winston said as they glanced over their shoulder and realised that Mr. Blume was easily keeping pace, in fact they might’ve even been gaining on them. Winston was sure that if Mr. Blume had seen them back in the day then they would’ve definitely told them off for running. Luce seemed to know exactly where they were going however, and as Winston saw that Mr. Blume was maybe seconds behind them they tried to pack on a final burst of speed as they exploded out of the school and into the perpetual night. “My car is in the car park, we should just get the fuck out of here and get someone more qualified to deal with this to help.” Things were going well, they were really making progress, they were getting further and further away and then of course, Winston Dane, the clumsiest person in the world had to have two left feet and trip over a curb. 

Luce nodded at Winston’s plan-- it was as good an idea as any and whatever the fuck Mr. Blume was clearly wanted both of them dead. He looked human enough, so maybe if they lured it to the police station, the police would just riddle him with bullets and that would end that situation? Just make up some story about the guy going nuts and trying to murder them? But, as soon as they made it out into the parking lot, Winston tripped and fell over the edge of the curb. Pausing to help them up, Luce gritted her teeth together as she saw that Mr. Blume had not, in fact, been tricked by the sharp turn. “Fuck it.” She said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she and Winston were the only ones around before holding her hands out and letting free a burst of magic. A ball of fire the size of a softball, concentrated and burning a bright white, soared from her hands towards Mr. Blume. “Get fucked, old man!” She yelled. But, instead of engulfing him in flames, something weird happened. The fire seemed to dissipate, recede, the colors growing dimmer and dimmer until there was nothing but smoke in front of him. 

After learning the truth about the Vural family, Winston had suspected that Luce could also do magic too, but they weren’t about to admit that to them without letting them explain it first. But apparently when she had thrown a literal ball of bright white fire at Mr. Blume, that wasn’t something that they were going to need to do. “Yeah, get fucked…” Winston had made it to their feet just in time to see the fire expand around Mr. Blume, it should’ve burned them away and yet the magic just seemed to dissipate and vanish as if the oxygen around them had been snuffed out, “okay we should definitely run,” Winston said sprinting past Luce and grabbing her hand, pulling her towards their complete shit mobile. Their ankle twinged gently as they ran, the mostly healed wound that they’d received from the weird gremlin thing at UMWC not loving the amount of aerobic exercise that they were getting. Looking back, Winston tried to think of something that would buy them more time, do anything to get them more space, they had a plan, but it would take them a minute to enact it and they wanted to make sure they were in the car first. 

The effort of throwing the ball of fire barely winded Luce, but it was the irritation of watching the man just continue to pursue them that really got to her. What the fuck? How did he just do that? There was no way that he would have been able to just… dissolve her magic like that. It was a fucking fireball. Letting out growl under her breath, she raised her hands again, intent on nuking this man into the ground. But, before she could conjure up another ball of flames, Winston had grabbed her hand and yanked her towards their car. “I can take him!” She protested, but when she saw the way that they were limping, she gritted her teeth. Even if she wanted to try and duke it out with Mr. Blume, there was no way that Winston would be able to manage. They shouldn’t be caught in the middle of this shit. “Ah screw it, the car it is.” She said, running ahead towards the familiar looking vehicle. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” She yelled, watching as Mr. Blume continued his relentless pursuit after them. 

“You can absolutely take him I am completely and totally sure of it, but at the same time the guy just absorbed what looked like a white hot fireball, which by the way was very very cool, and I don’t really want to find out what the hell else they can do.” Winston reached into their pocket and dropped their keys immediately. Great. “Uh, if you could throw a few more fireballs at him whilst I get the keys then that would be great,” Winston was already pressed flat to the tarmac of the car park, they were wriggling under the very greasy and dirty underside of their car in an attempt to reach their keys, praying that they would be able to get them before whatever the hell Mr. Blume was got to them first. Somehow they didn’t think that when their old chemistry teacher got their hands on two of his former students that he was going to explain covalent bonds to them or quiz them on the periodic table. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Luce groaned, but stepped up to bat nonetheless. Rolling her sleeves up, she took a deep breath. Calm. Steady and calm. Disregard the neighbor kid behind her fumbling with their keys, completely ignore the murderous chemistry teacher on a warpath. Just straight up forget the fact he’d made her fireball completely vanish in a puff of smoke. None of that mattered, none of it. There was only the fire inside her. The burning, white hot energy. Flames she so carefully stoked and tended to, urging her onwards. And all she had to do was let them free. With a sharp exhale, Luce held out her hands and jets of red hot fire streamed out from her palms. Not fireballs, he’d already demonstrated he didn’t give a shit about those. No, she was going for volume this time. The parking lot lit up with the red hot glow of flames, shooting twenty feet in front of her from both of her hands. Aiming at the ground, she urged the magic on, fueling the fire to burn, even on the empty asphalt. Pulling back her hands, sweat dripped down the side of her face as she glared triumphantly at Mr. Blume, who had stopped for a moment on the other side of the flames. 

As Winston’s fingers curled around the ring of their keys, they dragged them towards them and managed to bound up to their feet, slipping their keys in the lock of the car they pulled the door open and slipped the keys into the ignition. As they turned it and heard the car roll over a few times before sputtering into life, Winston thanked whoever had given them luck today because their car never ever started first time. Turning around, they were just in time to see Luce’s hands fire … well flames in great jets in front of them. A huge wall of fire erupted into life and Mr. Blume was hidden from view. Winston’s jaw fell slack and they were awe struck by the sheer display Luce had made. They’d managed small magic but nothing as big as what Luce had just done. For a moment, Winston was convinced that she’d saved them. Second time lucky right? And then, the most terrifying thing that Winston had ever seen happened. Mr. Blume appeared inbetween the flames that licked the open air, and then stepped through the magical inferno, causing the flames to shy away from their form as they made their way forwards. The heat seemed intense however, and Winston was convinced that they could see some of the skin on Mr. Blume’s face sizzle in the heat of the air, but they were through the wall of fire and making their way towards the car. “Luce, get in now!” they snapped, throwing the door open as they spun the car around and revved the engine, ready to speed away. 

The second Mr. Blume vanished from sight, Luce had a fleeting moment of exhilaration. She’d done it, she’d made him back off. Maybe she’d even-- before she could get too happy, he appeared again, in the middle of the flames. Her magic was repelled away from him, skirting around his form as he took a slow step towards her. His eyes stared at her, unflinching, entirely focused on her. A chill ran down her spine and she recoiled. “What are you?” She asked, more to herself than to him. Before either of them could respond, Luce heard Winston’s car roar to life, heard them yell at her to get in. They didn’t need to tell her twice. Turning tail, she ran for the door and slid inside, slamming the door shut. Grabbing hold of the Oh Shit Handle, she stared through the window as Mr. Blume continued to come for them. “Let’s get the hell outta here!”

“You don’t need to tell me twice.” Mr. Blume was sprinting towards them, Winston could hear their footsteps and see them hurtling towards them in their rear view mirror. They shifted gear, slammed their foot on the accelerator and felt the wheels spin in place for a moment before the car shot off. Keeping their eyes bouncing back from their mirrors and the windscreen, Winston reached inside of themselves and harnessed the well of energy that they accessed in times of magical need. Taking a deep breath, they began chanting under their breath. Mr. Blume was moving with surprising speed and Winston could see them cutting across the car park as Winston was forced to weave between the cars that were still parked here, which wasn’t many. As they reached the exit to the school, Winston turned left and finished their incantation. As they turned left an identical copy of their car appeared to peel off towards the right. Winston slammed the speed on, heading towards the one place that they could think of which might have some information on what the hell this all was and what was going on here. “Fuck, that was really fucking close.” 

As they zipped out of the parking lot as quickly as Winston’s car would allow, Luce slumped in the back seat, panting from the effort. Doing a mental check of her energy levels, she grimaced. She’d expended more of her energy on that than she’d originally thought she would. And it didn’t even phase him. What the fuck was Mr. Blume? As she stared out the window of the car, she was startled to see an illusion of their car appear in the middle of the road. What? That wasn’t her. Which meant… Leaning forward, Luce grabbed the back of Winston’s seat to stabilize herself. “Winnie. When were you gonna tell me you were a spellcaster, huh?” She asked, exhaustion letting her annoyance come through in her tone a bit more than she intended. 

Perspiration beaded on Winston’s forehead as they slammed their foot down as hard as it would possibly go. They knew that they needed to eat, but they would have to do that later. But they’d found that for them, after using any amount of magic it was important to have a sudden and ferocious hit of calories as soon as possible to avoid too much of a deficit. “Sorry, I ….” they swallowed, “towards the beginning of this year I found out about all of this and I just haven’t been telling people about it because honestly I’m not very good and I also know that with Miriam Flemming out there it isn’t exactly safe to be broadcasting that information.” They took a left, then a right, then three more lefts, then two rights and another right, finally convinced that they were safe, they turned the wheel and headed for the old Scribe building. “But, we need to work out what that was and how we’re going to deal with it, because Mr. Blume is too dangerous to just leave to their own devices apparently, but I have a place we can go.” 

[pintofteaforthesoul]

A Terrasen Prom

Aelin sucked in her breath, hands gripping the back of her desk chair as Lysandra tugged the zipper of her dress up. Even still, Lysandra hissed, “Suck in!”

Aelin gasped. “If I suck in anymore, my uterus will be in my throat!”

Lysandra snorted, but was able to get the zipper the rest of the way up and step back. Aelin turned, hugging her hands to her chest. Lysandra looked stunning in a deep emerald gown, the top almost shear with leaves embroidered like lace along her chest and arms and a tulle skirt that had a slit up the leg. She was shocked the school had allowed something so scandalous, especially with the low V-neckline, but it suited Lysandra perfectly.

Aelin looked down at her own baby blue dress. It had off-the-shoulder cuff sleeves and a full-bodied skirt with white embroidery dotted along the fabric. Her dream gown really… Aelin frowned, smoothing the skirt with light hands.

Lysandra pulled took Aelin’s hands in her own and Aelin glanced back up at her best friend’s worried expression. Her hair was pulled back in jeweled clip, with soft dark brown curls framing her face. “Are you sure you’re up for this? We don’t have to go…”

Aelin shook her head, straightening her back with confidence she didn’t feel. “It’d be lame if we didn’t go now, especially since we’re already dressed.”

“But Chaol-”

Aelin cut her off, eyebrows furrowing as a pang flashed through her heart. “Chaol can suck my dick for all I care.” But Lysandra knew she was lying, giving Aelin that knowing expression of hers. Aelin’s face dropped. “He broke up with me a week before prom, Lys. Who does that?”

Lysandra hugged her. “An idiot, that’s who. So we’re going to go anyway and he’s going to see just how fabulous you are and regret the day he was born!”

Her voice was filled with such genuine fervor that it made Aelin smile. After a moment, Aelin nodded. “Okay.”

~~~

The Ballroom was extravagant, that’s the only word Aelin thought came close to describing it. Decked in shades of blues, purples, and white, the Hotel Ballroom would make a Queen stop dead in her tracks at its beauty. Three chandeliers sent dancing lights across the floor and walls, making it feel ethereal.

Aelin’s jaw dropped as she and Lysandra swept in along with the other members of their high school- Aelin standing out because she was one of the few sophomores. She squirmed, eyes darting like a nervous doe.

Lysandra reached over and pinched her, causing Aelin to jerk her head over with a hiss. “Stop looking for him, you’ll drive yourself crazy.” It was a hushed whisper and Aelin scowled.

They drew over to one side of the massive room, dropping by the refreshments table to get punch before it got spiked. Finally having an inkling of privacy as the loud music started and people rushed to the dance floor, Aelin leaned over and whispered, “What if he’s here with another girl?”

Lysandra sighed. “Even if he is, she won’t be nearly as pretty or as smart as you.”

The compliment fell on deaf ears as Aelin resumed her scanning of the crowd. Lysandra let her be, knowing Aelin would have to find Chaol before she did anything else- even dance.

But Aelin found someone else, standing in the center of a group of males with his head thrown back as he laughed. His short silver hair nearly glittered in the light, the swirling tattoo down his face still a shock to see amongst high schoolers. He was the school’s own Bad BoyTM and relished in every dirty deed in the book. Aelin hadn’t recognized him at first without his signature leather jacket, but his group of friends were also unmistakable. Aelin shoved her elbow into Lysandra, who cursed loud enough to have several heads turn towards them, but Aelin didn’t care. “Rowan Whitethorn is here!” She struggled to lower her voice so it wasn’t a shout.

Lysandra’s mouth dropped open. “You’re joking! Where?” Her eyes greedily scanned the crowd until she found him- it wasn’t like he blended it. “Holy shit. What is he doing here?”

The girls leaned their heads even closer. “I don’t know! He’s a senior, so it’s fully in his right to come since the ticket it free for them.”

Lysandra still looked dumbfounded. “But he never comes to these things! And I don’t see Lyria with him.” Lyria was the head cheerleader and had been Rowan’s girlfriend for as long as Aelin had ever known. They were practically inseparable, the typical “good girl” falling for the Bad BoyTM. Aelin had always been jealous since they were the school’s Power Couple, not helping that she’d liked Rowan ever since he’d shoved a boy that was messing with her off the playground in fourth grade.

But he’d never paid her any mind, not even once Aelin grew boobs, packed on a decent amount of muscle playing lacrosse, and shot up to be taller than most of the girls in her class. Rowan had only ever had eyes for Lyria and her hot cheerleader body.

Not that Aelin had cared after she’d met Chaol, who’d swept her off her feet with his toned athletic body and meaningless promises- but she’d never forgotten Rowan, or the fluttering thrill his presence sent through her stomach. “Maybe they broke up?” Aelin didn’t dare let herself hope, not with the still-constant ache of Chaol’s dumping her.

“Let’s make sure he sees you, then.” Lysandra grinned like a fiend and, before Aelin could protest, dragged them onto the dancefloor.

~~~

Rowan wanted to leave and he’d been at the prom for less than twenty minutes. He wouldn’t even be here if Fenrys hadn’t threatened to withhold the after-party location if he didn’t show. Sneaking sips from the flask hid in his jacket, Rowan scowled at the people around him- most of whom he didn’t know their names. Lyria was nowhere to be seen, and good riddance. She’d left him for some college guy’s dick, so she wasn’t his problem any longer.

Fenrys nudged him, drinking from a cup of punch that had definitely been spiked by now. “Cheer up, man, you look like death.”

Rowan shook his head. “I wonder why. It’s almost like I didn’t want to come.”

Fenrys only grinned. “It’s our last prom before graduating! You’ll thank me later.”

“I doubt it.” Rowan muttered and Lorcan on his left snorted, the only one who heard. He had also been dragged here by Fenrys with the promise of an after-party.

Fenrys visibly checked out a girl that passed and she blushed, scampering away with her friends. Rowan rolled his eyes, but checked out one of the girl’s friends and winked just for the hell of it. He at least shouldn’t warm his bed alone after putting so much effort into this evening- Rowan was wearing a suit for gods-sake.

While Rowan’s head was turned to the side, following the group of girls as they wandered back to the dance floor, he saw her- and sucked in a breath. Aelin Galythnius. She was twirling in circles with another girl in a dark dress. Rowan’s eyes widened at the pale blue dress Aelin wore, showing off her neck, shoulders, and the enticing swell of her breasts. She was stunning, but that was nothing new. Even though Aelin was only a sophomore, she was already a shoe-in to be Valedictorian of her class. She was smart, talented, and overall- incredible.

Fenrys was talking, but froze at the expression on Rowan’s face, following his gaze to Aelin. “Shit! Is that Aedion’s little sister?”

“Cousin.” Rowan corrected out of habit, shoving Fenrys when the man started to practically drool. Another shove when he wouldn’t stop staring. “Stop. You know Aedion will have our asses if we even look at her the wrong way.”

Fenrys wrenched his gaze away as if it took extreme effort, Rowan had to admit he was feeling the same- his eyes wanting to stray back to Aelin as those hips moved in time to the pulsing music. “Damn, she might be worth an ass-whooping in that dress.”

Lorcan shook his head at them, the only one in their group with a loving and supportive girlfriend and who had no interest in leering at other women. “No girl is worth that shit, but I’ll pay for tickets if you decide to be a dumbass.”

Rowan had to even his breathing, reminding himself of the words he spoke next, “She’s in a relationship, Fen.”

Something dangerous sparkled in Fenrys’s eyes. “You didn’t hear?”

Rowan scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Heard what, jackass?”

Fenrys grinned. “Westfall dumped her last week.”

Rowan choked in his drink, having made the mistake of trying to take a drink to calm his nerves. It took him a second to say, “That cocksucker did what?”

Lorcan twirled his glass, disinterested. “I believe he said-”

Rowan’s fists curled. “I know what he said, Lorcan.” The words were a hiss and he took a long breath, running a hand through his hair. “I knew Westfall was dumb, but damn.”

Fen nodded. “I honestly pity him. Aedion must be plotting his murder as we speak.”

“Whose murder am I plotting?” Every muscle in Rowan’s body tensed at the sudden voice. They turned in unison to see Aedion Ashryver standing behind them.

Fen only smirked in his usual fashion. “Chaol Westfall.

Aedion’s head only tilted to the side. “Why would I be killing Chaol?”

Rowan let out a breath, willing his face to remain neutral and wishing he were anywhere but there. Fen’s smile fell, uncertain about giving this news. “He’s your Lacrosse captain, I assumed you knew…”

Aedion now walked closer, his surprising height making even Fen look short. “Knew what, Moonbeam?”

Rowan, now half behind Aedion, shook his head furiously, but Fenrys stumbled on. “About Westfall and your cousin- that he dumped her.”

The look that passed over Aedion’s face in a mere flash was one of pure rage, but Rowan respected his ability to hold it down. “Oh.” He said. “If you’ll excuse me…” Then as fast as he’d appeared, Aedion was gone.

Rowan stared at Fenrys until the man went, “What?!”

Rowan shook his head in unison with Lorcan. “Why the fuck did you do that? It’s none of our business.”

Fenrys shrugged. “He deserved to know.”

Rowan ran a hand through his hair, catching the glint of Aedion’s blonde hair as the man half-dragged his cousin off the dancefloor.

~~~

“Ow! Aedion, you’re hurting me.” Aelin murmured the words as her cousin manhandled her into a corner of the ballroom, glaring away any people nearby. Lysandra had followed them over and Aedion glared at her too, but she held firm.

At last, Aedion hissed, “When were you going to tell me that Westfall dumped you?”

Aelin cringed. “I was planning on it, there just never seemed like a good time.”

Those eyes that were identical to hers held death. “A good time? Aelin! I’ve been friendly with him all week when I should have been kicking his ass!” His voice was damn near close to a shout and the girls both shushed him. They were drawing too many eyes.

Aelin could only sigh. “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. I knew you’d react badly.”

A muscle in Aedion’s jaw twitched. “He. Dumped. You.”

She let out a breath, that weight back on her chest. “Thanks for the reminder.” She’d meant to say it sarcastically but her voice broke.

Aedion watched Aelin’s face drop as she fought the tears that wanted to ruin her. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

Aelin shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over. It’s done. I just want to move on and have a nice night. Is that too much to ask for?” Aedion’s face softened in a way it only did for Aelin.

Lysandra came up and looped her arm around Aelin’s waist. “Who told you anyway?”

Aedion looked almost confused. “Fenrys Moonbeam. He, Rowan, and Lorcan were talking about it for some reason.”

Aelin’s heart gave a discordant thump. “What? Why?”

Aedion shrugged. “You’d have to ask them. They seemed interested for whatever reason.”

Lysandra sent Aelin a knowing glance that made the corner of her mouth turn up. Rowan Whitethorn was talking about her- it was actually a dream come true.

Aedion glanced between them. “Why do you have that look on your faces?”

“No reason.” Lysandra lied and began to pull them away, but Aedion grabbed Aelin’s hand.

“Hey,” His voice was much softer now, serious. Aedion’s face was pressed with worry. “Can we talk about this later though?”

Aelin bit her lip. She didn’t want to, but knew she owed him the story at the very least. “Sure.” Aedion nodded and let Lysandra drag Aelin away.

Several feet away, Lysandra giggled and pulled on Aelin’s arm. “Rowan was talking about you!”

Aelin shushed her by swatting her arm. “Not because he likes me. My break-up is good gossip I guess.” She sneaked a glance over to where Rowan and his friends still stood. As if he could feel her gaze, Rowan looked her way- an odd emotion on his face.

Lysandra seemed to push her in his direction. “You should talk to him. Start some drama, it’d be good for you.”

Aelin’s heartbeat picked up. “Don’t even put those thoughts in my head. Just because we don’t see Lyria, it doesn’t mean he isn’t still with her.”

Lysandra only rolled her eyes. “Then why is he still looking at you?” Aelin’s heart stopped.

~~~

Rowan couldn’t take his eyes off her, especially once those gold-rimmed turquoise eyes had met his and even long after she’d torn them away. Fen nudged him quite harshly and Rowan glared over at him. “What?”

Fen shook his head. “Why don’t you just go talk to her already? You obviously want to.”

“Why?” Lorcan murmured, knowingly. “She’s already on her way over.”

Rowan tensed and the others laughed. He finally glanced over to see Aelin making her way over to them. It almost took his breath away, the way she moved with such confidence. Like a Queen. But it was her face that caught him, the nervous biting of her cheek that was evident even so far away.

Rowan held his breath and when Aelin finally reached them she cocked her hip out, stared them down, and said, “So, you’ve been talking about me?”

Rowan was left speechless, so it was Fenrys who said, “And if we were?”

Aelin turned those eyes on Fen and Rowan could see the miniscule flinch of Fen’s shoulders. Aelin seemed to notice it too and smiled. “You’re Fenrys, right?”

Fenrys looked down at her, but Aelin wasn’t intimidated. “Yeah, why?”

That head tilted to the side, eyes assessing Fen up and down in the way a doctor might. “I’ve seen a couple of your games.”

That usual charismatic Fen smirk was back. “Oh yeah? And what’d you think, little lady?”

Without a beat, Aelin laughed. “That your swings are weak because you don’t use your legs enough.”

Lorcan howled while Fenrys could only gape at Aelin. Rowan was trying to hide his grin behind his hand. Aelin’s eyes flicked to his and that grin spread. Rowan looked at Fen, who was still looking like an idiot, and winked. “She’s got a mouth on her you have to admit.”

Fenrys composed himself, steeling his face to neutral, but it was Rowan who asked, “Anything else we can do for you?”

Aelin bit her lip, eyes flicking over Rowan with a little spark in them. “No, I think that’s it.” And they all watched her strut away, but Rowan could only wait a beat before he followed- right on her heels.

They were in the middle of the crowd when Rowan caught her wrist. The music was pulsing around them, some pop song that was popular but Rowan didn’t know the words. In the small area, Rowan had to draw her back to face him. It was an almost embrace, Aelin’s hand coming up to his chest. He heard her sharp inhale and he asked, “Will you dance with me?”

Aelin grinned. “Yes.”

 ~~~

[A/N]

So this was totally unplanned, just a thought I had at work. If you want me to continue it, let me know. It would be a short story but just fluff pretty much. Maybe some smut but these are much younger characters so maybe not. 

[welcometophu]

Into the Split: Revolution - Interlude

Twinned Book 3: Into the Split

Revolution - Interlude

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According to the history as recorded by Sigma Delta, the first known Talent in the military enlisted in 1911, and flew for the Air Force in the first world war. He was a Weather Witch, and fog rolled in to cover his flights, while lightning cracked to foil his enemies. He didn’t tell his commanders about his Talent so much as he was discovered, when he took a young Clan soldier under his wing, and the two were overheard discussing their respective abilities.

The government was curious, wary, and delighted all at once to discover this untold wealth, and they put great effort into combing through the ranks and unearthing Talented people, pulling them together as special forces within the different branches of the military.

In 1963, Sigma Delta was formed, and the active recruitment of Talent began. I joined in 1985, fresh out of high school after having been highly encouraged to join JROTC during my teenage years. I could have gone to college with an ROTC scholarship, but I was starry-eyed and hopeful that we could bring Talent to bear to end the Cold War and create a new, safer world and I wanted to do that by being an active duty soldier. I wanted to make a world that would be a safe haven for my eventual children and grandchildren.

SD is a good effort. A strong effort that works not just within the US, but also forging relationships and alliances around the world. We bring together Talent in a way that the world has failed to bring together its citizens. We rise above prejudice.

We are the protectors, and we want to create a new world where no one goes hungry, and where war doesn’t destroy our lands and our people. We want to unite, and move forward together, as one humankind.

We studied Talent. Not just our own, but the history of Talent, gathering stories from around the world. We studied not just those we could observe in the modern era, but the myths that lie beneath Talent. We know that the Oracle of Greece was a true Predictive Talent. We know that Saint George was an allegory for a Church that strove to drive Clan out, and thus, slay the dragons. We know that where myth lies, Talent rests beneath it.

I teethed on stories of the deadly ones. Some people thought of Death as a wraith in a cloak and cowl, bearing a scythe; I knew that a Deathstalker could creep from the shadows and cover the mouth of a man in his bed and steal his last breath. We found our first Deathstalker in 1993, trapped her in a room where she couldn’t slip into the darkness and escape.

She was surprisingly normal, for all that she fed on the dying breath of those who were ready to leave the world. She couldn’t explain how she knew, only that she was drawn to them in those last moments, and that she was a necessary part of the world as it is. She was not alone; Death would still walk without her. But she fed on those throes, on the fear of what might come, and on those final moments of acceptance. She fed on that final acquiescence as the soul slipped into darkness.

Then she’d return to her job in the daylight, and her small children and husband who had no idea that she was Talented at all.

She chose to join SD, to help us in our efforts. She was as natural as breathing, a part of life and death after all.

We met our first Shadowwalker not long after. She was a friend of Marion’s, brought into SD one day as they both walked in through the darkness. Rebecca also seemed so normal, for all that she could become a shadow and then slide through them to anywhere she could imagine.

Anywhere. Truly anywhere. Rebecca told tales of visiting worlds that were not our own. For all I know, she may have come from one, but chose to settle here.

I liked them both, and they were true friends, drawn together by similar Talents.

There was a moment, one day, where Marion went stiff in the middle of a conversation, rose and turned, one hand out. On the other side of the room, one of our group stood abruptly, making a strangled noise. Marion was at his side in an instant, following him down to the floor, her hand on his chest as she shushed him. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m with you. I’ll make it easy.”

He was dead in moments.

There were those who said we might have saved him, although the coroner said his heart could not have been resurrected.

There were those who recognized what Marion had done, and how we could use it.

In 1998, we began a new effort, trying to understand everything about how the Deathstalkers eased people into death, and how the Shadows could travel so much further than the Deathstalkers in the darkness. We wanted to know how to combine them, how to leverage this to help bring our world into peace.

In 1999 we met out first Soulstealer, and a new plan was born.

It took almost a decade to figure out how, and it took the combined forces of Talents around the world to create this Ritual. We created carefully controlled conditions, using Ritual to enhance the abilities of our Talented guinea pigs, and hoping that by allowing the Soulstealers, Deathstalkers, and Shadowwalkers to become one Talent—as much of history already assumed they were—that we would have a weapon that no one could possibly fight against.

In the aftermath, we know we were wrong.

None of these Talents were dangerous on their own, but the newly created Soulless ones are a dire creature that has intellect and no remorse. They are shameless killers, starving and desperate to feed. And the energy used to create them was magnified, pushed throughout the world through our network of Talent, reverberating in both good and bad ways.

The Emergence means there will be more soldiers for SD. More people to fight for the good in the world.

But the Soulless continue to multiply. To Emerge, and to kill.

We have made a grave mistake, and it is to our graves that we will go in payment.

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[letsperaltiago]

you are the sun in my universe, considered the best when we've felt the worst |Jake x Amy|

So this took me 5000 months to write and it ain’t even proof read or that good. Sorry:))) bUT ENJOY

Here’s Peraltiago plus babies at the beach because summer also lol the title is basically longer than the fic 

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 To Jake and Amy vacation used to be equal time off and away from the daily stress, seeking a temporary hideaway in a foreign city or even country. They’d align their vacation days in order to leave behind the 9-9, perps, evidence, late nights and paperwork for a week or two. This was somewhat still true. They’d still abandon the 9-9 and work life in Brooklyn but their newly founded family of four wasn’t to be left behind. It definitely wasn’t, Jake thought as he carried his and Amy’s 4-year old and also first born daughter on one arm through, what felt like, the deep sand of some beach in the famous state of California. His other arm was pulled down by carrying a quite huge hard plastic cooler filled with provision for the little family’s day at the beach. Because of his job which required exactly this, Jake thought he was in decent if not good shape. That was until he’d come face to face with a new kind of physical requirement: the parent-stamina. A stamina that would still occasionally beat his ass even after 4 years of trying to crack its code. A small cry from behind him immediately and on instinct caught his full attention.

“You doing okay, Ames?” He snorted, out of breath, with a heaving chest, slightly worried about his wife who was carrying a beach bag with towels and other necessities along with their 2-month old daughter.

“Yeah, but lets not waste any more time looking for a ‘perfect spot’,” she breathed obviously exhausted from the complicated mini-hike featuring small children. “Holly (Yes, Jake did indeed convince his wife to name their daughter after a Die Hard-character) is getting fussy. She’s probably hungry.”

Knowing that a hungry 2-month old daughter of his was no joke, Jake quickly waddled through the sand to an open spot amongst many other people marking it as theirs by planting their first born’s bare feet in the sand. “There, Marcy. Could you please help mommy by grabbing the beach bag, so she can give feed Holly? Show me how strong you are!”

The 4-year old’s high pony-tail swayed in the beach breeze as she with effort ran a few feet back to grab her mother’s bag from her shoulder. “You sure it’s not too heavy, baby?” Amy couldn’t help but worry as she carefully let the bag slide off her shoulder and into her daughter’s tiny arms all whilst balancing the infant on her other arm. “It’s okay. I’m strong, you know? Like you and daddy.” With a muted thud the beach bag hit the ground obviously too heavy. Yet before either Amy or Jake could help out their oldest was struggling yet managing to drag the bag through the sand. The parents’ eyes met under the warmth of the sun, shining with amusement yet also pride as they silently admired their oldest daughter’s admirable willingness to always find a solution.

“Here… Daddy,” the little one breathed out heavily as soon as she was within an arm’s length from her dad.

Within milliseconds Jake reacted to his daughter implicit call out for help and grabbed the bag from her, leaving behind the parasol he’d previously been fiddling with in order for his wife and youngest to rest in its shade.

“Thank you, baby,” he swiftly placed the bag as to mark their territory for the day before pulling out the colourful beach towels which none of them had seen since last summer. New York, work and the colder seasons didn’t exactly call for beach towels or anything beachy at all. After folding out a few towels and soft plaids, the little family quickly settled down ready for a day in the sun and water.

“Lets go in the water, mommy!” Marcy gleefully screeched, jumping on the spot in excitement meanwhile Jake struggled to blow air into the arm floaties on her tiny arms.  

“First of all mommy can’t come right now. She’s giving Holly her lunch. Secondly,  you can’t go anywhere at all before these are fully blown, so stay still, please.” Jake Peralta was an overall very patient dad, but he did have his limits. Especially when it came to the safety of his children… and getting into the water as fast as possible! Gosh, he’d missed the beach!

“Shhh, Holly. Give me a second.” Besides him Amy was resting, sitting beneath the red sunshade, discreetly pulling up the oversized NYPD-shirt she’d borrowed for the occasion before shrugging off right side of her bathing suit. Merging with the crashing waves and screaming seagulls was the sound of Holly’s hungry wails, calling out for attention and more importantly food.

An almost silence crashed onto the shore and Jake didn’t have to turn his head to know that his youngest had finally latched onto her mother’s breast which meant the world was once again at peace. Yet, after having fixed Marcy’s second arm floatie he did throw a glance over his shoulder for the sole reason of taking in the beautiful sight of his wife cradling their baby in her arms whilst looking down on her with at ease, loving eyes. Both Jake and Amy knew from experience that being a newborn’s parent was hard work. Yet there were no hesitations or doubts when Amy one November evening, after putting Marcy to bed, had put aside her crossword to tell him the big news: they were going to be parents for the second time. Now, on a warm August day at the beach, she was here and whilst it had its ups and downs, the little family seemed more complete than ever.

“All good, Ames?” he momentarily kept his eyes on his wife as his supersonic parent-ears paid attention to Marcy and her giggles as she ran the last few feet down to the water’s edge.

Amy looked up from her infatuated dazing at her youngest daughter to send Jake a reassuring smile and nod. “Yeah. Except for the fact that you just let our oldest off without sunscreen.”

“Damn it,” Jake mumbled before throwing a glance in Marcy’s direction where she was currently squatting, still on the water’s edge, in order to touch the cool water. She knew better than to run into the water without her parents presence.

“But besides that you’re really nailing this beach-dad act,” Amy chuckled lovingly before running a free hand through her husbands wind-swept curls immediately earning herself a smile in return. After a few beats of silence it was bound to break and Jake knew the exact the words that would follow. “That said no way we’re letting her off without sunscreen, so you should probably go get her.” Her voice was firm with its order yet there was a slightly cocked eyebrow and guilty smile that let Jake know that she tried to be suggestive rather than bossy though Jake was the last person on earth to care. Her A-type personality was first and foremost endearing and respectable to him. Then, secondly, slightly intimidating and sexy.

“On it,” he pushed himself off the towel before jogging down to the water’s edge, where he playfully attacked his distracted daughter from behind before lifting and swinging him around in his arms. “I’m the sunscreen monster!” He roared along in what would be the horrible impression of a monster voice, as he carried her over his shoulder back towards their base. “I’m going to bring you back to my dungeon and keep you locked up until you’ve got your sunscreen applied!”

Gleeful and loud giggles were carried back with the breeze to the mother who couldn’t help but chuckle with sparkling eyes and wonder how she’d gotten this lucky.

“Noooo. It’s sticky and gross!” Marcy whined from where she was lying on his shoulder whilst also trying to fight her way out of his grip - hopelessly, that is.

“It’s upon order from mommy-sunscreen monster, princess,” Jake chuckled slightly out of breath from walking in the deep sand as he grabbed the little girl and sat her down on her towel. “… A-and daddy-sunscreen monster too, of course,” Jake corrected himself upon earning a disapproving glare from his wife that let him know she wasn’t about to let him get away with the blaming.

Quickly with no time to spare before Marcy (generally a prankster and with talents when it comes to getting away with quite literally anything) could escape, Jake grabbed the bottle of sunscreen and started applying it to the little human. Usual he found a lot of pride and entertainment in the fact, yet sometimes and in times like these, Jake hated that fact that his oldest was much more like him than like her mother.

“Ughhh, daddy. Noooo.”

“The sooner you lie still the sooner you’ll be free,” Jake sighed as he continued the task as he chose to straddle his daughter’s legs in order to keep her somewhat still - making sure to not crush her with his weight, of course. Impatience was a trait that grew on Jake along with his time as a parent. He would rarely get really upset or yell but Marcy, just like himself, had a tendency to test people’s willingness to put up with anything. “Marcia Santiago-Peralta, you’re going to be the death of me.”

Another breathy giggle escaped his daughter’s lip as she felt herself suddenly lack the power to fight anymore and suddenly lied still. Jake smiled as he finished off her upper body before moving off her legs to quickly apply the last bit of sunscreen in the palms of his hands to her tiny legs. “There you go! You’re a free woman now.”

Having barely turned back around from putting away the sunscreen, Marcy is up and clinging onto her still nursing mother’s shoulder. “I’m all ready now, mommy! Come into the water with me! You can just bring Holly along!”

Knowing that her oldest daughter could definitely feel the slight switch in the family dynamic ever since Holly was born, Amy didn’t blame Marcy for seeking attention. More than ever before, Amy at times felt like she was neglecting her oldest now that 90 percent of her energy was poured into taking care of a still very dependent and hopeless Holly. This was even considering the fact that Jake was an amazing dad who did everything within his power to help whichever way possible. A knowing, reassuring smile from across Marcy’s shoulder did help her feel slightly better, when she had to give the girl a sad smile and break the sad news. “I can’t right now, Marcipan. I’m so sorry.” She reached out and stroked the obviously disappointed daughter’s pouty cheeks. “Holly needs to go to sleep.”

Not liking the response, but more or less understanding, Marcy turned on her heels and took heavy steps towards the water. All running, bouncing and joy suddenly seemed to be somewhat sucked out of the little body which caused the mother to feel even more guilty. Automatically a guilty twist formed in her gut only to be followed by her upper teeth digging into her bottom lip.

“I feel bad…” A quiet confession slipped off her lips. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her husband’s head snap in her direction, immediately revealing his concerned yet as always endearing eyes.

“Babe…” He sighed whilst scooting in closer on the wide beach towel. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Yes, Marcy might be a little disappointed right now but trust me; she knows that Holly needs a lot care and deep down she’s not holding it against any of us. We explained that to her before Holly was even born.”

“I know…” Her frustrated sigh was pressed against the child in her arms' forehead as she was placing a kiss to it before looking back up at her husband. “And I love them both so much it hurts, but having two small children is so hard, Jake. I want to give both of them my full attention, but there’s only so much I can do! And I miss work so much… ” Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill.

This automatically drew Jake even closer, an arm around her back and a tender, long peck to her already sweaty temple. “I know and honestly, Ames?” He pulled back directing his gaze into hers, radiate the need to comfort his wife. He knew that the last few months had both been the biggest joy in their lives. Having not only one but two amazing daughters was truly something Jake had never imagined yet now couldn’t imagine being without. On the other hand, life had never been more chaotic. While they were a good team, dividing tasks between them, there was only so much Jake could do with Holly. He couldn’t physically feed her even if he wanted to… And even if it had nothing to do with breastfeeding, Holly seemed to be a total mommy’s girl who’d sometimes straight up scream-cry and refuse to be held by anyone else - even her father. Hence Jake taking care of Marcy a lot of the time. “… You’re doing an amazing job. I know I usually get up with Marcy in the morning and take her to daycare, but even then and on the days that I don’t? You’re such a super-mom. You have two children beneath the age of 5 in your care, and while you might be exhausted by the time I’m off work, you still nail it and I wish I could do the same for you…”

The few tears that had spilled on her cheeks had dried into her cheeks, allowing her smile to replace them. “You would go crazy, Jake… So long at home with them?” They both had to chuckle at that, before Jake’s expression was suddenly tinted with sincerity again.

“Honestly? I don’t think so. Sometimes I actually wish I had more time with them.” Now it was Amy’s turn to rest her head on her husband’s shoulder, letting him know that she was there to listen. “I barely see Holly during the day because I leave and come home when she’s asleep. I always hate dropping off Marcy at daycare, because honestly? I just want to hang out with her and do fun stuff. She’s such a smart, cool kid and I feel like I’m neglecting that because of work. Kinda like my dad…”

Red flag. Amy knew that once Jake started comparing himself to his dad, then whatever he was saying was causing him the strongest sense of insecurity. It was truly something that was eating him up inside. “Don’t you dare think that, Jake Peralta.” If her arms hadn’t been cradling their sleeping 2-month old, Amy would’ve reached out and cradled his heartbreakingly insecure face to let him know he was more than okay. “Look at me.”

From where his eyes had been staring at the static sand for way too long now, switching between that and keeping an eye on their daughter who was now enjoying herself as well as her beach toys by the water’s edge and staring numbingly at the sand, Jake listened to Amy and turned his head to meet her sincere, almost pleading, eyes. “You are not like your dad.” She couldn’t hold him in her arms or hands, but at least he was close enough for her to plant her forehead comfortingly against his. “The only reason why I haven’t gone absolutely mad is because I have the best co-parent to take some of the weight off of my shoulders. The fact that I don’t have to ask you to do things, because you know it’s a natural part of the job as parent and it comes to your instantly makes it so much easier for me. Even the little things… Like helping Marcy put on a DVD, grocery shopping on your way home from work or getting up in the middle of the night, when Holly cries to see if it something you can solve so I can sleep just a bit longer. All of those little things amongst many other are the reason why we actually enjoy our kids and each other. Without the balance it would be hell and I love you so much for that. Thank you.” She finished off her point by pecking the tip of her nose before pulling back to see a smile plastered across his face. Mission accomplished, she thought to herself.

“While it makes me feel kind of sad that you have to thank me, since apparently co-parenting and equality still isn’t a matter of course in today’s society…” He leaned down to peck the top of his daughter’s head before redirecting his lips to his wife’s for a peck as riot to straightening back up to look sincerely into her eyes. “Thank you. I never expected a thank you, but it’s nice to now that me doing my best is helpful, because I love you and our little family so much, Ames. More than anything. And if I knew that I wasn’t giving myself 200%? I would hate myself.”

“I love you so much too. And I hope I never come across as taking anything for granted - even when Holly is throwing up all over me, Marcy is screaming for something and the pasta is burning.”

They both had to laugh at the horrible yet recognisable situation. “I’m a white, cis male. Please, be my guest and take me for granted. I could use the humbleness.”

“Jake,” Amy had to roll her eyes.

“Too political?”

“For a day at the beach with our family after a heart-to-heart talk? Yes.”

“Sorry. Emotions make me uncomfortable?” He smiled sheepishly.

“I know, dork. But you’re doing fairly well,” she had to recognise with a teasing smile. “Now go have fun with our oldest, and I’ll join you as soon as Holly is done napping.”

After a last smile and peck to his wife’s warm, soft lips, Jake shot up from his spot on the beach towel. As by instinct and also the fact that his mentality shrunk to the one of a playing 10-year old, he jogged in the direction of his oldest daughter whilst letting out a roar and immediately earning a scream from her. Amy laughed upon watching him grab her, throw her over his shoulder and running into the waves as she screamed playfully. Soon enough they both dropped and were swallowed by the blue water, earning a giggle from Marcy who had the playfulness of her father.

Amy could not, even if she wanted to, help but smile and giggle along from a distance, because nothing was more wholesome than knowing that she’d picked the perfect father for her perfect children. Especially now that said perfect father was throwing said perfect daughter into the air and letting her drop into the water with a joyous scream.

[sparklyicecube]

The Dream Chapter Theories

Listen up moas, these are my theories for The Dream Chapter, miscellaneous format as usual, TDC:Magic is coming out in 5, 4, 3 hours now and I just want to get all this stuff out in the open. Leggo

I don’t know whether Run Away is going to be TU related because Crown wasn’t but Run Away seems to be so much more plot-driven than Crown?? I will assume so ish for some of the theories, let’s get into it.

1) Soobin and these glasses??? I know that people talk about him being a really powerful magician and stuff for doing non-verbal magic without a wand but just look:

He is obviously possessed/ in a trance, his head tilt + his hand in pocket like he doesn’t usually do is just all signaling that he isn’t himself

Side tangent, he prob fell behind the others because he was slow then tried to find them and came into the classroom, but was the glasses calling to him? Did he know about the glasses and was curious about it’s powers? Did he just think it was fun to randomly put on the glasses? So many questions. The glasses look lame tho haha

2) Taehyun. This is crossing over more to the Dream Chapter Star and Nap of Star specifically.

His eye. Does it not work unless he uses that weird device? Can that eye see more? Can that eye see more weirder things????

 It also isn’t any star in his eye, it is the Star. With a capital S. He is related to it in some way. Taehyun is also the only one seeming to be looking for something. He is actively looking.

Another side tangent not side tangent, the Star.

Is the Star powered on their promises? Is there someone behind the Star, helping it work? Like I theorised before, it is obviously mechanical, which I connected to Hueningkai but it is very very connected to Taehyun too, that eye is not a coincidence. There are no coincidences in BigHIt. Plus he looks us in the eye soooo much. Theories:

- Taehyun is the person in the Star, plausible but not really since the Star starts and stops while he isn’t there, but is the starting point for my other two theories

- Taehyun is related to the person in the Star, and is looking for his friends so that the Star can be fixed, or for the person in the Star. He was born with the weird eye.

- Taehyun is an explorer/related to an explorer and was tasked by the person in the Star to either find his friends or get a way for the Star to work again, he is given this eye to achieve this task

I’m not very sure whether there even is a person in the Star and this is definetly one of my crazier ideas but this just proves how I am going to upload all my theories on the slim off-chance I can scream “HAH!” later.

3) This theory is based on the idea that all of them are in a metaphorical place, an outcast group, being bullied for being different as shown in Nap Of Star, this theory crosses into the intro films even so this isn’t directly TU related. No particular order.

Beomgyu:

He hates being in this place, he pities himself, he’s probably had expiriences like Yeonjun’s in Nap of Star

But he isn’t looking at ways to get out, he is staying here, not satisfied or accepting, but just making no move to do anything different.

Soobin:

He doesn’t like being in the ‘place’ either but he is more accepting of it. We see it even in his intro film.

I binge-watched all of them just now and in his, he has this feeling of “you’re here, today is going to be a good day” but doesn’t expect it. He is lonely, and wants friends. He doesn’t like it. But unlike Beomgyu Soobin just accepts it, he acknowledges it and lives with it, and is happy if he has friends but doesn’t dwell on it.

Yeonjun:

Nap of Star was indisputably Yeonjun’s story, and we see he hates it, but we also see that his story is him running away because of what he thinks will happen, he also isn’t looking around. He is scared, he is running, but running away from it is not running away from the ‘place’, he is just trying to live with it. And I think he will accept being in the place, especially with all of his friends there.

Hueningkai:

Hueningkai’s is very interesting, I made a theory on his place in Nap of Star and the discrimination he feels but on how he fits into this. 

Hueningkai isn’t even trying, he acts like he is but he isn’t. He doesn’t want to get out of the ‘place’ and he put himself there in the first place. Like I theorised before, we all know about his wings. They are obviously fake, worn, and seem like they are crafted to be able to fit in with them, with friends and with this community so that he has a place in the world and is allowed to be there. As he is half-korean he might feel like he doesn’t fit in anywhere, and he could’ve gone anywhere to debut, but he came here. He wants to associate with them. Though he might be judged or teased or attacked he would rather be here in this ‘place’ and therefore makes no effort to escape. 

Side note: HUENINGKAI IS AN AMAZING PERSON ALL THOSE ANTIS ARE JUST JEALOUS THEY AREN’T AMAZINGLY HOT, CUTE, SEXY AND CAN SING DANCE AND PRODUCE AS WELL AS THIS INTERCULTURAL MULTI-TALENTED KING

Taehyun:

Taehyun is the only one looking for a way out.

He is the only one who is actively trying to break out of this ‘place’ and makes an effort to try and get out. He is actively looking, he doesn’t like this place but he is not just going to sit there, and that makes a difference, because everyone else has sort of accepted it. And now that they have each other they will not try to break out, being complacent, but Taehyun is taking a different route.

4)

Taehyun and Hueningkai are the only ones looking here, the others are peeking, scared of being caught, just glancing, Yeonjun is only looking up slightly (I would use Soobin as an example but he isn’t even breaking a sweat to look over the fence he is that tall). Taehyun is, of course, actively trying to move forward, to find a way through, a way out, Hueningkai seems to not be as scared. Not sure where it is going but I want this to be noted.

5)Can’t we keep the monster alive

So this one isn’t relating to Run Away, we will prob not get the answer today, but I feel it will play a role in TU. It is probably relating to “the boy who grew horns on his head” and how he is a ‘monster’ but is that a bad thing. I think/hope it is related to bullying and how they wish people would go easy on others for being different. Not a complete theory but whelp.

6) Magic Island

Okay I have litterally nothing for this one other than the fact that Nap of Star had “star’ in it and Magic Island has ‘magic’ in it, this could also be a TU related song. Probably not going to have answers for this either.

7) The Dream Chapter

- The Dream Chapter Star focused on Yeonjun so either age order or introduction film order The Dream Chapter Magic is probably going to focus on Soobin and his journey, not quite sure though.

- They already said that TDC:Star was about them finding each other and TDC:Magic was their journey but what does that mean for TU? It means 1. that we will see more interaction in the next TU related mv, and 2. that we could potentially see them fighting stuff more. TDC:Star was what they thought they might face and running away from it, but TDC:Magic is where they face it and they face it together.

8) Eye contact

In Nap of Star, Taehyun and Hueningkai looked into the camera, knowingly. That says something, related to theory 4) but also doesn’t know how this is significant. It is important but idk how. in the trailer Yeonjun and Taehyun look at the camera in the same way, Hueningkai doesn’t.

That was it! If you are reading this… wow you are committed, but otherwise stream Crown and Run Away when it comes out. I will post another post of theories and theories debunked when The Dream Chapter: Magic comes out!

[a-merman-not-a-guppy]

CHINESE HOROSCOPES 2020! Fruits Basket Style

The Rat - “You're done. Put that down and get out.” - Yuki Sohma

Other Rats: Lymantria Khan, Mateo De Alva

Congrats. It is the year of the rat. The Rat horoscope 2020 predicts that you may be filled with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction even though things will go quite well.He is loyal and devoted to his friends and rather protective of them. He is not really romantic and often is really good friends with his lover. At times he can be mean, stubborn, and narrow-minded in his view but it is merely his way of being a perfectionist and his need to live by his own rules.

Don’t listen, then, to the insidious little voice that will incite you to see things in black. Look at your life with serenity: You’ll realize that, in fact, you’ve absolutely no serious reason to complain or even to worry. Celebrate the many good things you’ve been given.

The Ox - “A mystery...” - Hatsuharu Sohma

Other Oxen: Perry Flynn, Merida Dunbroch, Berlioz Bonfamille, Mabel Pines, Dipper Pines, Charlie Little, Alana Triton, Keaton “Buster” Palmerteri 

2020 will certainly be a lucky year for those born in the Year of the Ox. You’ll be relaxed and feel good about yourself, The Ox chinese horoscope 2020 predicts that in order to amplify the good celestial influences of the year and lessen the negative impacts, it will be in your best interests to take stock of your life and to hatch out new projects. and this beautiful balance will have happy repercussions on your love life.

Some of you might accidentally encounter some supernatural events that are beyond one’s imagination. Whether such meeting is a good omen or not is to be established in the near future. But certainly it brings a new chapter into one’s life. As long as one has an open mind and does not keep thinking of negative consequences, then the situation should be under control. If still in doubt, then one can choose to totally ignore it.

The Tiger - “When I’m...with Onee-chan...I feel warm inside...” - Kisa Sohma

Other Tigers: Kanga DeRosa, Thomas O’Malley, Calliope Harper, Olafur Önnuson, Gregory Eeyore, Marian May, Sindri Dyrsson

Tigers are set to reap the benefits of the Year of the Rat; career and education, in particular, will be the areas to focus on for the next few months. Be confident in your abilities. Use your talents for good; loyalty and intelligence will get you far. On the other hand, health and relationships will not have such a positive outlook. You will need to be sensitive to your well-being and others’ if you want to have a good year.

The Rabbit - “But...I think...I want to live with all my memories. Even if they're sad memories.” - Momiji Sohma

Other Rabbits: Kiara Lyons, Shannon “Shock” Adamson, Bambi Basurto, Sora Hamasaki/Roxas, Reed Fisch, Elyon Brown

The Rabbit horoscope 2020 predicts that in general, the outlook is positive. However, the year will be marked with some tense configurations. In order to preserve your serenity, it would be in your best interest to adopt a well-balanced lifestyle at the very start of the year.Be careful about your diet, and think of getting more fresh air; indeed, you’ll tend to live too much indoors, forgetting to walk or to maintain contact with nature. There’s a whole world out there for you to explore.

The Dragon -  “No I was simply too amazed by your stupidity to say anything.” - Hatori Sohma

Other Dragons: Imelda Rivera, Sun Park, Roscoe Sykes, Jake Long, Marie Bonfamille, Deb DamselBu, Oliver Twistes, Fflewddur Fflam

The Dragon horoscope 2020 predicts that this year, you will become more sure of yourself and assert your originality, especially in your career, where your qualities will be acknowledged by your superiors and colleagues. But you’ll also have the tendency to adopt overly radical positions at times; try to be more moderate.Beware: By refusing to make concessions, you’ll antagonize even those who only want to help you! Expect luck to smile upon you.

The Snake - “So send me your desire. In the service of my fellow students, I am prepared to receive!” - Ayame Sohma

Other Snakes: Kristoff Bjorgman, Violet Parr, Isabel Flores 

The Snake horoscope 2020 predicts that your personal evolution will be highlighted by the Stars this year. You’ll discover new things that interest you and you’ll better understand the direction of your destiny. Many of you will be attracted by all that is related to spirituality. Your natural generosity will express itself usefully in the service of others. Think about this if ever you have an important career choice to make.

The Horse - “And if when everything ends, nothing is left in my hands...that's alright.” - Rin Sohma

Other Horses: Willis Tibbs, Marzel of Coronado, Marisa of Coronado, Gaston Lacarriere, Ralph O’Reilly, Lucius “Lock” Adamson, Ashley Spinelli, Mei Qin, Dash Parr, Haley Long, Urchin Owens, Ashle Boulet, Ashleigh Quinlan, Ariel Triton

The horse horoscope 2020 predicts that the year may be marked with important surprises. Now, as a native of this Sign, you abhor the unforeseen. Nevertheless, it will be in your best interest to act quickly if changes come to disrupt your career schedule. Given the favorable astral configurations of the year, such modifications will play in your favor, on the condition that you take up the challenge. Don’t be doubtful of your abilities; you’ll find the necessary resources within yourself to make the most of changing conditions.

The Goat - "STUPID WOMAN! Always stealing our alone time." - Hiro Sohma

Other Goats: Terra, Nala, Terence, Attina, Ella, Simba, Meg, Finn, Roo, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Ashlee T, Nemo, Wilbur

The year of the Rat will be full of highs and lows for Goats. Having enjoyed a relatively stable previous year, they should expect 2020 to be more dramatic.Goats will have to work harder than usual to capitalize on great financial opportunities during the first half of the year. These resources should then be saved to prepare for the difficult years of the Ox, Tiger, and Rabbit.

In the second half, Goats may face some serious problems that can last a while. These obstacles will require strong persistence and commitment from them. However, they should see this as an opportunity to grow and bring out the best in them. As long as Goats remain optimistic throughout the year, everything should turn out fine.

The Monkey -  "I'm a complete failure. At everything I do, I'm absolutely worthless. I know this, and yet I continue to burden the human race with my presence. “ - Ritsu Sohma

Other Monkeys: Celia, Henry, Jake Rogers

The Monkey horoscope 2020 predicts that this year, you’ll have to make concerted efforts in order to get what you want. Important changes can take place at home or at work, so you need to be prepared. It would be ideal if you could remain confident when you actually feel like sweating. If you act rather than panic, you’ll find brilliant solutions and you’ll triumph over difficulties. Be convinced that life is made of renewals and that upheavals are useful because they allow you to make progress.

The Rooster - “I alone am free. I could go anywhere I please. I could love whomever I wish.” - Kureno Sohma

Other Roosters:  Marlin, Iseul, Adella, Belle, Artemis, Apollo, Jim, Sally, Georgette, Chase

The Rooster chinese horoscope 2020 predicts that this year, your focus will be on the sectors related to relations with others. Thus, it will be in your best interest to think of other people more. Whether in your work, love affairs or family life, don’t make any decisions without foreseeing its consequences on those around you. Good fortune will smile upon you if you put your family and friends first.

The Dog -  “Sometimes I think the whole world is conspiring to destroy my house.” - Shigure Sohma

Other Dogs: Reza, Hera, Minnie, Sarina, Melody, John, Elena

People born in the year of the Dog won’t have to complain about the stars in the year of the Rat 2020, for they will have good luck in most areas of their life. You will need to be patient and tenacious at work. If you’re wise enough to adapt yourself to new challenges that arise, you’ll strengthen your character and develop two key qualities — the art of negotiating and the ability to make sensible choices.

The Pig - “I will forgive him right after I kill him!” - Kagura Sohma

Other Pigs: Hercules, Dodger, Mitte, Jane, Wendy

2020 will be an extremely lucky year for all the people born in the year of the Pig.The pig has the last position among the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. The Pig horoscope 2020 predicts that the astral climate will lighten. After a rather chaotic year, you’ll begin to feel better about yourself. However, there are still lessons to learn. First of all, show yourself to be extremely reasonable in all domains of your life. Next, vow to be more selfless. Finally, the more willing you are to modify your plans at the last minute, the better you’ll fare in all aspects of your life.

[thiswomanshouldbewriting]

What if Snape had a daughter?

A gifset gave me this idea and now I can’t stop thinking about the utter potential of it. So, without further ado, here’s my take on what would happen if Snape did have a daughter. Special thanks to @galactic-pirates who helped me sort my ideas out. Warning, very long post ahead.

So, we know that freshly-out-of-Hogwarts Snape wasn’t really making great life choices, so let’s imagine that, on top of joining the Death Eaters, he also has a fling with one of them, and he gets her pregnant. Of course, the situation is far from ideal, and Snape as a lot of conflicting feelings about the whole thing, but still the baby is born and shortly after that her mother is killed in battle. Severus is left with little Lilith, who has a name that starts with L as a little, secret homage to Lily. He’s determined to be a better father than his, but at the same time he has no idea where to even start.

In the meantime, he switches sides in the war due to Lily being in danger. Lily dies, the war ends, but Severus knows that Voldemort isn’t truly gone, and he knows that, when he comes back, his daughter will be in great danger given his role as a spy. So, as little Lilith grows, he takes great care in teaching her how to defend herself. She knows how to cast simple spells and brew potions even before she goes to Hogwarts. She’d very talented, and has her father’s unconditional support, but at the same time she feels his constant worry, and that often makes her feel like she’s still not good enough, not as good at him. She loves her dad, and he loves her, but with Severus’ history it was obvious that their relationship would be a little problematic from time to time. 

Lilith - who is one year younger than Harry - gets sorted into Ravenclaw, and soon becomes the best student of her year. Between that, her crooked nose, and the fact that her father is possibly the most despised teacher at Hogwarts, Lilith doesn’t really make a lot of friends. Nobody dares bully her, both in fear of retaliation from Snape and because they’ve seen her hex someone who was bothering her, but Lilith is mostly a lonely girl. The one person whose company she doesn’t really mind is Luna. Luna is weird, sure, but she doesn’t look at Lilith with mistrust or anger because of who her father is, and while they don’t really talk much they feel at ease around each other. On their second year, when Luna is reading the Quibbler and Lilith is writing her Transfiguration essay, Luna casually tells her she’s happy that they’re friends, and Lilith is kind of shocked because she hadn’t even realized it until that moment. She decides she really likes the idea of having a friend.

For the record, the fact that Snape now takes a lot less points away from Ravenclaw has absolutely nothing to do with his daughter. Nope, not at all. Also, it is only an accident if, during Duelling club, Lilith casts a Leg-Locker Curse on Lockhart. She just misaimed, that’s all. 

When Voldemort comes back, Snape holds on to the hope that Voldemort will not expect Lilith to join the Death Eaters until she’s 17 at least, and that gives him three more years. He tells Lilith to be always on alert and not do anything to attract attention to herself. Dumbledore has promised that she’ll be safe, but the last time Dumbledore promised that he’d keep a woman Snape loved safe it didn’t end well, so Severus really doesn’t trust him on this. 

Lilith tries to follow her father’s advice, but it’s really really hard when Umbridge is around, practically begging to be hexed every time she breathes. When Luna tells Lilith about the possibility of secretly studying DADA with Harry Potter, Lilith tells her she’s not interested. First of all because she is sure she knows more spells than Potter himself, and because this is exactly the kind of thing that could attract attention to her. 

And yet, as Luna tells her about the meetings and Lilith’s frustration at Umbridge grows, she can’t help but wonder if joining the DA might actually be worth it. Yes, she knows a lot of spells, and she has practiced them with her father, but extra practice cannot hurt, especially in times like these. Plus, she’s curious about Harry Potter. Her father hates him, but he has survived to Voldemort several times, and she doesn’t truly believe it was all luck. She knows more than him, but he has the experience she completely lacks.

So, after discussing it with Luna, she shows up at the DA meeting one day. She gets a lot of sideways glances, because people expect her to tattle to her father or to Umbridge, and even Harry looks a bit shocked, but when Luna says they’re friends he doesn’t contest it. Hermione makes her sign a scroll - even though Lilith thinks it’s really dumb to write a list of everyone who is involved in an irregular activity - and the lesson begins. 

Just as she expected, Potter is explaining some very basic spell that she has already mastered, and after a while he realizes that it’s really pointless to pair her up with anyone other than himself. One thing leads to another and soon they’re engaging in an actual duel, and while it’s true that Lilith has more knowledge, Harry has very quick reflexes and his spells are always incredibly powerful. Only when Lilith finally disarms Harry they realize that everyone is looking at them; there’s a moment of silence, then everyone starts clapping. Their duels soon become a constant of the meetings, and Lilith even teaches Harry a few new spells, which he later teaches to the whole class. Lilith is good with spells, but she doesn’t have the patience to teach, so they work in tandem. Harry always avoids talking badly of Snape around her, and makes sure that no one else does. He still dislikes Snape a lot, but he knows how much it hurts to have someone badmouth your parents in front of you. Also, Lilith is not guilty for what her father does, and he understands that even better after he sees Snape’s worst memory and learns what a bully his father once was. 

Severus is not pleased at all when Umbridge dismantles the DA and he discovers that Lilith was part of it, and he gives her one hell of a scolding, but he’s also proud when she tells him that she beat Harry Potter in duel more than once, and he tells her so. He’s also proud because, even though she did something risky, she did it because she knows the situation is serious and she was trying to learn how to defend herself more effectively. 

It takes Dumbledore a lot more effort to convince Snape to kill him, because Snape knows just how much this will endanger his daughter. After he supposedly betrays Dumbledore, Lilith will be the daughter of a traitor in the eyes of the Order, and a traitor to the Death Eaters if she doesn’t join them. Since he has no intention of ever letting her anywhere near Voldemort, that would mean putting her between two fires. However, he’s aware that he really cannot blow his cover with Voldemort, and refusing to kill Dumbledore when Draco inevitably fails would do exactly that, so he caves in. What follows is possibly the worst year of his life, because he knows his time with his daughter is running out and he hates to think that she’ll see him as a monster in just a few months, but he can’t tell her anything, and it hurts so much. 

Lilith is woken up one night by the sound of screams and spells being cast, but by the time she finds out where the commotion is coming from the battle is already over, and Dumbledore is dead. There’s a sinking feeling in her stomach when McGonagall and Flitwick ask to speak to her, and when they tell her what her father did she can’t believe it, she doesn’t want to believe it, and yet she knows that it must be the truth. She’s angry, she’s confused, she’s hurt. She can’t believe that her father would really betray everything he taught her to stand for, and a part of her hopes that this is indeed part of a very convoluted plan, but even she doesn’t fully believe that. 

She’s placed under the care of Andromeda and Ted Tonks. Not joining the Death Eaters after her father’s actions means she’s taking a stand against them, and Death Eaters are extremely vindictive with relatives who betray their cause. Andromeda and Ted have been hiding from Bellatrix for quite some time, so they know what they’re doing, and if things go south Lilith can say that she was being held captive, and that’s why she didn’t join Voldemort. 

Things go south pretty quickly, Voldemort gains control over Hogwarts, and Lilith realizes that staying with Andromeda is not safe anymore. She shows up at platform nine and three quarters on the first of September, and while the Carrows are somewhat suspicious of her at first, she has a nice cover up story, and she manages to convince them. It’s not an easy year for anyone, but for Lilith in particular. Most people - aside from Luna, Ginny, Neville and a few others - mistrust her and think of her as a wannabe Death Eater, and she can’t really do much to prove them wrong under the new regime. 

Still, she starts working in the shadows together with what’s left of the DA. She never takes a public stance against the Carrows, but she heals wounds, provides diversions, and acts as a lookout. She’s still holding on to the hope that her father is actually on the good side, and on the rare occasions when he shows up she tries to catch any sign that it might be so, but he seems to be ignoring her, avoiding to even meet her gaze. She doesn’t know what to think. 

She’s not in the room of requirements when Harry arrives, but when the students are being evacuated she stays at the Ravenclaw table, glad to have just turned 17, ready to fight. This is huge. She is the daughter of a Death Eater, and yet she’s fighting against them, and one of the Slytherins who are still being evacuated screams at her that she’s a traitor. Other kids start mumbling insults but, before McGonagall can silence them, a fifth year Slytherin student steps forward. Lilith draws her wand out, ready to protect herself, but Avery just stands awkwardly in front of her, everyone’s eyes on him. 

“My uncle. He got injured during Easter holidays, and that made him deaf from his right ear. If you attack from that side he might not hear you coming,” he says.

Lilith is so shocked that, for a moment, she forgets how to speak. Before she can say anything, however, more Slytherins step forward, telling her about their Death Eater relatives and their weaknesses. One boy, who is in her same year, even decides to stay and fight. The battle doesn’t drastically change from canon, but Lilith’s presence gives other kids the courage to stand against their families, and the four houses join the fight united. 

I suppose in the end Snape dies anyway, but that is way too sad to think about it. Anyway, this got so long because love the potential of this idea. Pls share your thoughts on the matter.

[tomasorban]

THE ZODIAC: CAPRICORN THE GOAT

Date of Rulership: 21st December-19th January; Polarity: Negative, female; Quality: Cardinal; Ruling planet: Saturn; Element: Earth; Body part: Knees, Joints, Bones; Colour: Black, dark grey, and brown; Gemstone: Turquoise, Amethyst; Metal: Lead.

Following on from Sagittarius, Capricorn is a sign that is immensely focused on how developments made in various disciplines like science, economy, law, and psychology can be used to improve living standards, raise collective consciousness, and foster a powerful society that runs as quickly and efficiently as a Japanese bullet train or a Swiss Rado watch. The Goat possesses the memory of a Tibetan monk, or rather an Indian elephant and its intuition extends far, far back before the conscious will crawled its way out of the primordial sludge. Interestingly, everything about this primitive state of chaos unsettles and scares the Goat. In fact lack of structure and organization, whether on a personal level or a collective level, induces psychological complexes within the Capricornian psyche that may drive it over the edge. In light of this, one can begin to understand this star sign’s compulsion and obsession with developing systems that tabulate and organise information into coherent hierarchies, raising and enforcing social standards and laws, and encouraging individuals to turn their passions and interests into full-time careers. According to the Goat, compartmentalization is a must; how will contemporary society function effectively, grow, and prosper without specialists to put forth broad-based models and inspired leaders to assess their levels of practicality and decide whether or not they should be implemented. Capricorns are innately good at taking on the comprehensive responsibilities of such collective ventures for they are naturally born leaders and committed ones at that.    

People born under the stars of this constellation are usually of an intellectual adroitness beyond their actual years. A personalized form of the Capricornian formative energy might be a three year to four year-old toddler with a very high IQ. Have you ever watched one in action in a kindergarten playground? These little mischievous angels are masters of manipulation. They loiter about sizing other kids up, figuring out what makes them tick, and subsequently flicking on the mental switches that will elicit complete acceptance, veneration, respect, and affinity on their part. Moreover, they also love the power that comes with positions of elevated status and authority and will always pick roles where they are able to order everyone around and be the centre of attention. The wisdom and insight pervading these little beings carry is extraordinary; they learn and identify what behaviours are encouraged and rewarded by parents, teachers, and other adults and will cunningly adopt them for the sake of obtaining what they want. Mature Capricorns very much like mischievous children with very high IQs. They are creatures of atypical restraint and a calculated, cautious temperament that can use their charm, wit and infective cheerfulness to ascend the wrungs of the social ladder and miraculously leave the people they mingled with to get there feeling cherished and esteemed. This talent serves them especially well in professional endeavours whereby expertise, skill level, and personality provide the requisite ammunition in catapulting an employee to the top of the pecking order. The Goat wants to please and to be pleased; a mutually satisfying situation it hopes will assist in its plans to achieve widescale success.    

If we were to attach a Jungian archetype to this star sign it would definitely be The Perfectionist. Mediocrity, poor performance, procrastination, and indolence are non-existent in the Capricornian language and dictionary. The Goat expects much of others and even more of itself, a characteristic which sometimes proves beneficial and sometimes detrimental. It gravitates towards and gels well with those who are equally ambitious, driven, conscientious, and tunnel-visioned but can intimidate meeker and more submissive character types that lack focus, aspirations, and long-term goals. Generating a vision that will contribute something valuable to the society in which it lives and slowly lighting the hermetic fires that will bring it to fruition is big on its lifelong list of things-to-do. Lamentably, a motivated Capricorn can become so fixated on achieving success in all areas of his or her life–finance, love, and professional career–that he or she becomes merciless, indifferent, and as unyielding as a piece of sandalwood trapped between two giant boulders. Unlike a great many that capitulate to the ideals of political correctness, Capricorn is not afraid to employ disciplinary action against inferiors that persistently transgress.

Being a cardinal sign Capricorn is no stranger to activity, fast-paced rhythms, and spirited involvement.  The Goat prefers to circumnavigate the world over and over and over until its limbs drop off rather than remain motionless and caged up in some suburban neighbourhood. It likes to be in constant motion physically, mentally, and intellectually; it wants to be creative and innovative in adding to its chosen field of inquiry but at the same time it yearns for recognition, honour and vindication as validation of these valuable contributions. Just as the sure-footed mountain goat can persevere in traversing precipitous terrain that other animals wouldn’t go anywhere near for fear of plunging to their deaths, so too does the Capricorn soul exude inner strength and resilience in the face of adversity. Unlike some of the other members of the zodiac which give up prematurely or won’t even try for fear of failure, Capricorn will keep chipping away at a foot of a megalithic problem until so much of it is underrun that it collapses in on itself. Of course there are times when the Goat’s unrelenting efforts don’t pay off and this can create psychological torture that leads to bitterness, depression, neurosis, and even psychosis if the condition remains unaddressed. An afflicted Goat can become so riddled by insecurities, self-doubts, and psychological hindrances that it will invert its own social nature and seek solace in escapist activities like daydreaming, reading romance fiction, playing computer games, and watching movies.

“What doesn’t hurt you will only make you stronger!” the resilient Capricorn shouts. “You must endure pain, suffering, and symbolic death during the course of your life in order to become the person you were meant to be. Life is all about improving the world in which we live and adding to it in a constructive manner. Hence there is no room for laziness, lawlessness, or immoralities. The world is our only home. What good would it be to us if it were an asymmetrical place of anarchy, confusion, and absurdity? Everybody needs to have a meaningful role in society that contributes to the harmonious functioning of the whole. Look at bees, for instance. Their society is a sort of autonomous monarchy comprised of drones, female workers, and the queen herself. All these little beings are intensely aware of their position and function in the hierarchy and adhere to it like the universe adheres to the laws of physics. They are all as assiduous as each other and we would do well to borrow and implement the same approach. Success in life comes through industry, focus, and hard yakka (hard work) folks; nothing more, nothing less.

Some people say that I resemble the winter solstice in that I’m sometimes cold and chilly, reserved, and rather impersonal in my dealings with others. This is not my true self, but rather an iron armour or shell which the contingencies of life have forced upon me. I’m a realist so I’d be the first to admit that the world can be a cruel and nasty place. Even though most wouldn’t admit to such, self-interest happens to be a primary urge amongst human beings and their tireless search for validation usually entails a confrontation with the less flattering attributes of the collective temperament. Hence it’s important to put up psychic defences that will guard your soft, squishy, and sensitive interior at all times. The human soul, my friends, is an abyss of human sentiments, and mine is no different. I will sing, dance, cry, laugh, and share intimate details of my life with individuals who manage to gain my love and complete trust, namely those that are going places and doing exciting things with themselves.  As you know, I’m a sucker for security, attention, and status and the best way to get it is to be around those VIPs best able to open doors and facilitate it. I’m not an elitist in any way, but relationships built on synthetically constructed dependencies are an outgrowth of the Western culture in which we are born and raised. We need to work with that rather than against it for the sake of acquiring what we want!”

Capricorn the Goat is connected to two symbols that link the constellation with the reascention of the sun from its seasonal slumber. The first of these is a terrestrial goat or goat-fish crossbreed that has its iconographical origins in the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia. This is depicted morphologically as a sea monster; sometimes as a hybrid goat-fish with the four limbs of a goat and a fish tail and at other times as a sea goat with the posterior of a serpent. Most early cultures perceived that their collective histories were woven into the heavenly constellations and the Sumerians were no different.  Foremost of the symbols belonging to the Sumerian god Enki were a goat and a fish, both of which had amalgamated into the astrological totem we recognise today by the second millennium bce. Originally, Capricorn probably descried an early matriarchal situation of the Middle East in which the earliest monolithic structures of Babylon rose vertically out of a semi-arid breadth of shallow lagoons, reed banks, mud flats, and marshes. The horns of the goat were celestial markers for Mesopotamia’s two principle cities, Babylon and Nineveh; the first was built along the river Euphrates and the second along the Tigris, respectively.

Constructed during the Ptolemaic Period (323-30bce) of Egypt’s illustrious history, the circular and rectangular zodiacs in the Temple of Hathor at Denderah bequeath to us the ancient zodiacal pictograms for the twelve signs. A fleeting glace will show that the vast majority of these have remained largely unchanged. With respect to the Capricorn constellation, the zodiacal band on the circular Denderah zodiac shows the figure of a goat with two legs adjoined to the rear end and tail of a fish. Though the signs and figures of the sky represented on these chronometers express a markedly Chaldean and Hellenistic influence, we can be sure that the autochthonous Egyptians explicitly understood the celestial zone and functional image of the sign as a marker of astronomical rebirth and solar reascent because demotic representations show an ankh, the symbol of life, and an aquatic tadpole with its hindquarters on solid ground (the inverse of the sea-goat image). Hence the Egyptians may have been aware of the twelvefold division of the zodiacal band way before Babylonian cosmogony merged with that of their own under a Hellenistic patina.

The Greeks themselves, who borrowed leisurely from Chaldean astrology, forged an association with their god Pan and with Zeus’s foster mother Amalthea. According to a cycle of Hellenistic myths that chronicle the Titanomachy, a ten-year war between the fearsome Titans and the renowned Olympians, the horned goat-god Pan fought the monster Typhon. In order to evade detection and escape unscathed, he dove into the tepid waters of the Nile. The section of the river into which Pan jumped encompassed magical properties and instigated a physiological transformation upon anything it came into contact with. Thus the parts that were submerged in water, namely his lower body and legs, morphed into a fish whilst his head and upper torso remained unchanged. On the other hand Amalthea was the she-goat that suckled the infant Zeus in a grotto of Mount Aigaion on the Mediterranean island of Crete. In order to save him from being cannibalised by his own father Cronus, Amalthea gathered the Kouretes, the armed and crested dancers of the earth, and prompted them to create an aural bedlam as to mask the cries of the infant.

The second symbol, an astrological shorthand used by astrologers in the casting of horoscopes, is a squiggle comprised of curves, a loop, and sometimes a straight line that could be interpreted as the goat’s horns. Looking at the variant forms of the Capricorn sigil, it is easy to see how the zodiacal imagery was appropriated to create a much simpler and rudimentary illustration recalling the Capricorn’s dualistic nature and primary ambition. With half of its being in the watery chaos of other worlds and dimensions and the other half trotting on three-dimensional and material notions of solid ground, Capricorn wishes to find a balance between the ethereal and material and the sigil no doubt demonstrates this. There are many sayings associated with Capricorn, the best known being that time itself would end when its cluster of stars huddled above the horizon. This sentiment probably has its origins in the fact that the sun transits this section of the zodiacal band at a time when the formative forces of Mother Nature are at the weakest, as well as in the perception that Saturn, the deity intimately connected with cosmic law and the mediation of time, was exalted in this sign.

In the northern hemisphere the constellation of Capricorn appears in the night sky at the time when the solar orb has descended to the nethermost regions of its celestial journey, also known as the winter solstice. Many cultures of the world such as those of the Far East have interpreted this time as the astronomical resurrection of the annual cycle, and therefore a marker for the New Year. This was usually a just and prosperous period which might be equated with a Golden Age when the earth gave back to its mortal children abundance by sending down the rains and offering up a good harvest. It’s probably no surprise that the ruler of this sign, Saturn or the Greek Cronus, holds a sheaf of corn in one hand and a sickle in the other. Together these symbols denote an earned condition of fecundity, justice, and strength which so often comes when one is patient, diligent and perseveres in their chosen field of physical or intellectual inquiry. Taking into consideration the time of the year in which the sun traverses its domain, its earthly, cardinal nature along with its planetary ruler, it would not be unjustified to claim that the Capricorn psyche is honourable, self-disciplined, ambitious, and grounded with partial participation in mystical and speculative philosophy. Just as the astrological pictogram suggests, Capricorn is a very versatile sign once it has completely evolved and can switch from a worldly and ambitious extroversion to a spiritual and contemplative introversion in the manner that nymphs, the larvae of dragonflies, will desert their aquatic environment and transition to an avian mode of existence upon reaching adulthood. Consequently Capricorn’s formative energies reconcile the conscious and sure-footed will with its intuitive and psychic origins, the somnolent unconscious.

[fmdxyoungjoo]

Hello hello people! I’m here with my newest muse, Jo Young-joo! Ya’ll may know me from BEE’s maknae, Alyssia, but here’s my sweet lady that I’ve been having muse for days and weeks until I decided to woman up and just apply for a second muse! Young-joo is the leader of Silhouette (so all silhouette babes please come and plot with your softie leader) and is basically an aspiring actress. She has her public profile and her private profile as well as her bio right here! Young-Joo also has a plots page that has quite a lot of plots open to multiple muses, so do hit me up if any of them interest you please! Here’s a link to her navigation, and below are some trivias about my girlie! Please LIKE this post if you’d like me to slide into your dms for plotting when I wake up, and comment if you’d like a random starter from her! please give her lots of friends, both from gold star and other companies!!

So basically, Young-joo is a rich girl, born with a silver spoon in her mouth

Her personality is somewhat of someone blased and indifferent. She’s not competitive, nor is she driven--she’s simply someone that drifts with the clouds, flows with the river flow. 

She usually comes off as disinterested, or uninterested to people, so pls don’t be offended.

Her parents and her are currently estranged, because she decided to pursue her passion in acting and singing

Was found and scouted by another company that closed down through a talent show at her school where she won first place

trained for 2 years at that company, and found a really good mentor for her singing

unfortunately that company closed down due to finance issues, and young-joo decided to audition for gold star because she couldn’t go back to her family.

she trained for another 6 months before debuting as silhouette.

she originally thought that gold star would debut her as an actress or a model due to her looks and acting skills but she was put in a group

she sounds like EXID Hani’s real voice when she sings, and usually flips up to a airy, upper register for her silhouette songs because the company wanted it

she started her first acting stint in The Master’s Sun as “Cha Hee-Joo”. It was her breakthrough role, and she started getting more offers in lead roles.

She acted in W - Two Worlds, and recently in Gangnam Beauty in 2018 as Kang Mi-rae. the drama was really well received.

her biggest regret is not finding out that she liked acting and singing sooner, because she’s one of the oldest idols left, born in 1990.

she has an inferiority complex about aging and her looks, and occasionally has depression when her self confidence about it gets really bad.

she is an utter klutz, and holds a record of 200 plus falls over her own feet

a bruise balm for bruises is a MUST NEED item in her bag. she cannot go anywhere without it.

young-joo has dated in the past, with 3 boyfriends, all idols. (Past Romantic Plot! Hmu if you’d like it ^^)

All her romances ended up as breakups, because Young-joo seemed too indifferent to her partners, and they felt as though they were the ones putting in effort in the relationship, not her.

she was badly hurt in her last breakup, and cried for months

she is very close to her silhouette members

there were rumours and whispers about her not wanting to concentrate on silhouette (possible angst plot for silhouette members) because of her acting successes.

these rumours were quashed in the past, but renewed with vigour with the recent success of gangnam beauty

she’s a mom to people younger than her, and takes very good care of them

however she’s not the pushy mom type. instead she simply offers them the choice, and if they take it, she smiles.

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON NEON’S MAIN DANCE KIM MICHA...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 22 DEBUT AGE: N/A TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 15 COMPANY: Midas SECONDARY SKILL: N/A

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): cha cha (due to her passion for dance and always being on the move), 미카추 (mikachu, originates from her likeness to the pokemon “pikachu” when she attempts aegyo), 미친 (michin, used as a term of endearment, in honor of her somewhat reckless and mischievous behavior) INSPIRATION: the women in mi cha’s family have always served as her greatest inspiration. it’s hard to not want to succeed with such talented family members preceding her. she has fond memories of watching her mother defy gravity on stage in performance halls as a child and remembers wondering what it’d feel like to fly. SPECIAL TALENTS:

freestyle dance

“cola pouring” impression (x)

“human jukebox” / good at guessing song names within the first second of hearing them (x)

NOTABLE FACTS:

fluent in english

proficient in arcade rhythm games (DDR and guitar hero)

her grandmother owns a children’s dance studio in daegu

performed in a K-PAP showcase in middle school

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

her main priority as of late is a well-received debut that will, all stars aligned, snowball into a successful idol career. she anticipates management steering her in a direction that makes her image easier to manage as far as personal activities go.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

she’s ultimately determined to one day become a choreographer along the lines of lia kim and bae yoon jung and choreograph for her group, and other groups as she gains seniority. she’d also like to moonlight as a radio personality or a fixed variety cast member as a metaphorical “fuck you” to the silencing of women’s voices.

IDOL IMAGE

she’s trouble, she’s fun and sexy, reckless and unfiltered - the classic party girl type, the near embodiment of neon’s concept and she nearly doesn’t make the cut. a long list of demerits and reasons to keep her locked in the proverbial basement follow her like the train on a gown, but she’s chosen in spite of it. her deviance becomes her and her talent in dance is too good to let rot away with the less-thans. her ultimatum is this: keep your hands clean or you’re out. it’s: no scandals if you know what’s good for you and please, make them like you. it’s: remember you’re replaceable, mi cha. replaceable, they say, like there’s any chance of neon going anywhere without a girl like her.

she doesn’t care. the way she sees it, they need her more than she needs them. she knows business and she knows that cookie cutter can only take a group so far in 2019. times are changing and as far as she’s concerned, her charm precedes her.

they take the things that make her, her and decide to dial it back several notches to make her easier to swallow.

kim mi cha: family-friendly and cool. she doesn’t swear, she doesn’t party, she’s never dated but, boy, if she isn’t fun. the high school mean girl with a heart of gold all grown up and better for it. who says bad girls can’t be marketable? she’s opinionated and progressive, upbeat and fun, charming and powerful in her sexiness and her quick wit. kim mi cha: sharp and strong, a woman that girls can look up to - scratch that, kim mi cha: a woman that girls can compare themselves to, a woman that girls miles below her will want to be. she’s got that something.

listen to neon and maybe you can pretend you’ve got it, too.

IDOL HISTORY

her mother is a dancer(, and her mother’s mother and her mother, too). she’s born with rhythm in her bones and a legacy to uphold; a silver spoon between her lips and not a worry in the world thanks to her father’s fat pockets and his foot in the door of every restaurant in seoul. she wouldn’t call him a thug but, then again, if you asked where all the money came from, she’d tell you to mind your business. mi cha doesn’t pay much attention to the money anyway, it’s the only thing she knows - comfort and the inborn privilege of never having to want for anything. the trouble comes in her abilities.

she’d like to pretend that she came out of the womb with the basics down but truth be told, she struggles. as a child, she’s clumsy and nearly incapable of moving with any fluency when a song comes on. her limbs don’t cooperate despite her desire to soar and her mother nearly declares her a lost cause, enrolling her into a performing arts school as a last ditch effort to polish her jagged stone of a daughter into a gem. they sand down all of her wayward edges into something easier to build on, a flat platform of good enough to pass as decent with the reach goal of being something great. she’s not the prodigy they want her to be but she’s not a disgrace to the family line of contemporary excellency either.

and mi cha, she loves it. as much of a pain it is to learn the basics until she’s gotten good enough to tackle more, she thrives in the act of dancing. she shies away from how cliche it is to be two times the daughter of the daughter of a dancer and want to dance herself but shines when she finds her footing on the dance floor, when the squeak of her sneakers on the wax coated flooring of the dance studio she’s taught in becomes like sweet, sweet music to her ears. she gets good enough that it’s not a joke for her to make a career out of it.

initially, she auditions at midas just to be a dancer, uninterested in becoming an idol, sufficiently turned off by the diet horror stories and the dating bans that she’s already sufficiently made a mockery out of at the ripe age of fifteen, already familiar with the ins and outs of dating and sneaking out and older boys. she gets in because they see potential and to this day, she tells her friends its the worst decision they ever made.

two years into her tenure, she’s offered the opportunity to train as an idol could-be. by now already having experience doing work as a back-up dancer for company seniors like JiNX and Su.Grr, she’s a lot more confident in her abilities, a force to be reckoned with in the realm of dance but her voice leaves something to be desired. so, she’s an idol trainee - a girl group hopeful, now. she needs to be able to carry a tune, determined not to be another cliche dance only member that doesn’t contribute to the overall sound of the group. she’d be damned if she got boxed into a trap of perpetual oohs and ahs with the sometimes-promise of a dance break.

she works hard but her focus dwindles when she falls into something like love but more like infatuation with a boy, a man, really, but he’s forbidden nonetheless. she’s eighteen and stupid so she finds herself spending late nights out at clubs and bars, gay clubs per the influence of her other freer dancer friends, and she finds her spice in stolen moments in alleyways and in the tiny seoul apartment that her dad is paying for. it’s a whirlwind of sex and bad decisions and sleep drunk mornings on the subway to get to midas, to train. she’s dead on her feet in vocal lessons, inattentive and petulant to the point that her progress is plateauing. her bubble bursts when she gets caught out during a routine trainee phone check, glass shatters when one of the other trainees she’d considered a friend rats her out for partying.

they break up. (see: her training sessions and schedules are packed so intensely that she’s barely even got the time to sleep, see also: they take her phone and lock it away and swear on everything that she’ll never see him again, read: she’s put on probation and locked up in a tower like rapunzel, escorted home and back by a low-ranking manager so she’s not lulled into the illusion that she can get away with it again. kim mi cha: delinquent.) he doesn’t put up a fight. she moves on.

she can’t help the bitter feeling that settles into her stomach when aurora debuts and she’s forced to face the reality of the time she’s wasted. they’re only one girl group of many in the industry but it doesn’t matter anymore, not when she’s playing catch up with other trainees who’ve been waiting just as long for something, anything.

years pass and she’s got nothing better to do but improve and stay on her best behavior in the hopes that the strict grip will give. (it doesn’t.)

and then, by some miracle, she’s called in as a member for project n. (read: JiNX jr.) her first thought is: party. the second: a passing wish that her members aren’t a bunch of stick-in-ass prudes. mostly she’s just glad that she’ll finally get to be on stage, as the main event this time. kim mi cha: idol dancer. kim mi cha: star. she finds it a little unfair how hawk-eyed they are on her behavior like she’s the only fuck up to ever exist under their management, fat fingers pointing heavily at the dating ban and staring her down behind thin wire-framed glasses. it’s a subtle reminder for her to not fuck this one up, to behave herself because she’s not the only life on the line here.

she’ll think about it. (she tries.)